Control
by RavensDescendant
Summary: Bastila loves to be in control of everything. But what happens when she is tasked with saving the Republic with some very unexpected allies? Follows KOTOR story line with quite a few original changes to the characters, plot, and dialogue. Bastila's POV.
1. Prologue

_Authors Note: I am in the process of revising this entire story. I will repost each chapter. I feel like I have to do this, or I will not continue writing the story. The lack of detail bored me. I hope you all continue to read and I will continue to write. I love this story too much to quit. Thanks for your support! I truly appreciate it! -Selena Hope Laynn_

Control

Prologue

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any rights to the Star Wars franchise. I only own this story. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is the property of BioWare and LucasArts. No copyright infringement is intended by this work of fiction.

Edit: Thank you to the reviewer who brought my line break issue to light. I actually had line breaks, but for some reason they just didn't upload correctly, twice. I have now marked time lapses by blatantly stating "Time Lapse". Sorry :) Enjoy!

"Good, young ones, concentrate," encouraged a middle aged yet, strong human male to a classroom of young children. He fashioned brown hair and clear, blue eyes upon his tall and lanky frame. His footsteps were light as he circled his students whilst they honed their control of the force. The man watched carefully as the young children pushed and pulled small, round cubes through mid-air. Only a moment later, he stopped abruptly, and headed toward the door of his room as a small grayish-green creature walked in.

"Greetings to you, Master Vrook," the small, wrinkly species bowed, his brown robes looking extremely baggy on his short frame. His feet were hidden under folds of brown, making it seem as though he floated across the room.

"As to you, Master Vandar. Initiates, join me in welcoming Master Vandar," Vrook replied turning to the children clothed in robes the same tan shade as his own. His students stopped what they were doing and respectfully bowed to their other teacher. The students were all very young, younger than 7 years, and a variety of different species.

"Thank you, younglings. Continue, you will," the little creature's mouth turned up into a smile and he motioned for Vrook to join him. Vrook followed in the man's footsteps, his brown robes sweeping across the floor of the enclave as they had done for a number of years now.

"The initiates are doing quite well, Vandar. I do not believe I have ever seen such talent in an entire group so young, especially the boy."

"Ah, the boy. Wished to speak to you about him, I did. What of his training?" Vandar turned, looking up at Vrook from his small stature. His voice cracking as he spoke. Master Vrook had the pleasure of teaching the strongest of the force sensitive younglings within the enclave. Of these, one stood out in all aspects. The boy had jet black hair that hung down over his eyes, which were a mix of green and blue with a hazel ring around his pupil, and was considered the claves "newest prodigy" despite being only five years of age.

"Revan is," Vrook paused and glanced off to the left, "headstrong. Very headstrong, but he is extremely strong in the force and has already mastered most of the initiate training within a very short time span. It usually takes years to obtain his level of control. I believe he will be an excellent Jedi with a bright place in the future." Vandar exhaled and smiled, obviously agreeing with the other Master's judgment.

"Noticed this, I have. And strong, he is. Very. What of the girl?" Vandar continued. "Shan. Strong, as well, she is." Vrook peeked in on his students who were continuing the exercise he had started them on just moments before Vandar's visit. His prized pupil, Revan, had already completed the task successfully and was blazing through his second run, making few mistakes. He glanced to the corner to see the shy, brown headed girl Vandar had just spoken of. She had also finished the exercise, but Vrook could see the gears turning in her head. She was thinking of her previous actions and applying her analysis to her second run through. Ah, such talent in both.

"Bastila is very dedicated and just as strong in the force as the rest. I feel as though her wisdom will definitely be her strongest asset, along with her brilliant mind," Vrook looked back toward Master Vandar, who nodded.

"Thank you for your time, Master Vrook," Vandar bowed, "check in later, I shall." Vrook bowed back and returned to his classroom of prodigies. The force was swirling around the room in an almost musical fashion. Between Revan and Bastila, Vrook did not believe he had ever witnessed such promising students. He looked to his star, the boy, and smiled. This one was definitely going to have an elaborate destiny as a Jedi.

_**~Time Lapse~**_

A tall, light skinned, muscular boy made his way up the halls of the Jedi enclave after a long day of exploring the caves of Dantooine. His brown and tan robes were quite fitted, to be robes. His muscular build was noticeable through the layers of clothing. His black hair was wet with sweat from his previous struggles in the caves. He stopped in the largest room of the enclave and bowed to his many masters, of which included Vrook and Vandar.

"Masters," he lowered his head, then lifted back up, "I trust you are all well?"

"Well, we are," answered the cracking, grumbly voice of Master Vandar, "and you, Padawan?" The boy answered in a nod and presented one of the masters, his personal master, with crystals from the caves he had explored throughout the day. The woman did not look at them, as her eyes were covered by her robe's hood, but she knew Revan's purpose. Her blond hair, styled in two separate braids, laid down in front of her shoulders.

"You have done exceptionally well, Revan. I assume you wish to construct your own lightsaber with these; am I correct?"

"Yes, Master Kreia. I know it is not customary for a Padawan to wield two lightsabers, which is why I came before the masters to ask for permission." Revan looked toward them all. Vrook nodded and turned to the other masters, conferring with them. After a minute of deliberation, Master Kreia spoke for the group.

"Come, Padawan Revan, let me witness the construction of your lightsabers." Revan's exquisitely colored eyes lit up and he bowed again in respect for his masters of about twelve years.

"Thank you, Masters. May the force be with you." Revan bounced happily down the hall toward the training room, following his mentor. He was so elated that he didn't notice the Padawan training. The hiss of a lightsaber, as well as the horrible stinging sensation in his arm, woke him from his unaware mental state.

"I am so sorry, are you alright?" a concerned, soft voice came from across the room. Revan looked up to see a brown headed girl, who was only slightly shorter than himself, coming toward him. "I was just practicing and did not expect anyone to walk in so suddenly." Revan was so caught up in her brilliant gray eyes that he didn't notice the blood trickling down his right arm. "Umm, hello? Are you alright?"

"Oh, yes, I am fine," he placed his hand over the burning cut, only to jerk it back quickly due to a more painful stinging sensation. The girl took his hand, gently pulled his arm straight and placed her palm lightly on the site of his injury. She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing, obviously concentrating very intensely. Revan felt the sting float away, as if the incident had never happened. "Thank you." He stood and bowed to her.

"You are welcome, and again I am truly sorry for this," the gray eyed, brown haired girl looked toward the crystals he was holding in his other hand, "I can see you are busy, so I will leave you to your constructing. May the force be with you, sir." The girl turned toward the lightsaber a few feet away and opened her palm out to it. The hilt zoomed into her grasp and she serenely walked out of the training room.

"And with you, ma'am," Revan bowed, turning his attention back to his excitement. He hardly noticed Kreia had been eying the padawan girl strangely. The teenage prodigy turned his attention to the workbench, carefully putting each distinct part in its place and making sure his crystals were balanced to the perfect degree. However, whilst creating his new masterpieces, Revan couldn't remove the girls face from his memory. _"Maybe I will see her again,"_ he thought to himself.


	2. Chapter 1: Gang Wars

Control

Chapter 1: Gang Wars

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any rights to the Star Wars franchise. I only own this story. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is the property of BioWare and LucasArts. No copyright infringement is intended by this work of fiction.

Author's Note: Italicized words are emphasized when during dialogue and are Bastila's personal thoughts in any other situation. Also, I believe I have finally fixed my time lapsing issue

As a cloud of smoke burst up into the atmosphere, dust filled Bastila's nose and caused her eyes to burn and fill with tears. She had gotten away from the infiltration aboard the Endar Spire, a Republic warship she had recently been assigned to, thanks to a nagging Republic Commander and an extremely convenient escape pod. However, she had no idea where she was or where her lightsaber was at the moment. As the mist of dirt and grime surrounding her cleared, Bastila climbed out of the crater that the, now destroyed, escape pod had created in the bleak looking surface of some planet.

Bastila had an intimidating athletic build, with an attitude to match as of late. She had recently discovered that she possessed a rare gift, dubbed "battle meditation", which gave her the power to control the morale of her enemies and her allies on a mass scale. She could, in time, be able to turn the tides of any major battle, or so her Masters say. Her number of previous successful missions may have also played a significant part in her new found attitude.

Once her eyes stopped burning, she attempted to survey her surroundings. This was to absolutely no avail as it was pitch black and gloomy, wherever she was.

"Quick, this way!" Bastila heard a deep voice yell, followed by a multitude of quick and heavy footsteps. _There must be quite a few of them._ On instinct, she reached for her bright yellow, single bladed saber only to remember that she had no idea where the bugger ended up. Not only was that a problem, but when she tried to summon her weapon she had no connection to the force what-so-ever. _Some Jedi I've become._

_**~Time Lapse~**_

Bastila's strange gray eyes opened some hours after her capture to a lovely view of steel bars, concrete blocks, and two men dressed in tattered, cult-looking attire. She tried to stand only to realize her situation was a little bit worse than she had expected: her hands were bound behind her back by wire that was conveniently cutting into her flesh. The men in front of her were armed with single weapons, a vibroblade and a blaster, which she knew was useless in close-combat. _This should be fun._

"Excuse me?" Bastila asked in a rather raspy voice, "could I trouble you _handsome_ gentlemen for a glass of water? I'm rather parched." She had always been a natural at influencing people, whether it was due to her persuasive skills or the opposition's want to NOT become her victim.

The guards looked at Bastila in a curious manner, then the one on her right walked away. He returned minutes later with a small glass of disgustingly brown water. He slid it through the bars toward Bastila and she replied with a degrading expression.

"If you haven't noticed, _kind sir_, my movement is restricted. Could you allow me to at least get a drink? I have no way of escaping. The odds are against me and I am completely unarmed." Concentrating on not alarming the guard with her presence in his mind, Bastila gave him a half-hearted smile. He opened the barred door and unbound her hands. As soon as her arms were free, she gave the man a smirk and elbowed him square in his jaw. As he writhed in agony on the floor, the other guard moved to detain the young Jedi Padawan.

"Get back in the cage, I don't want to hurt you," the guard pleaded with Bastila. He was much larger than Bastila was, but her ego never backs down.

"As if you could," she retorted. The guard started toward her and was met by a low kick to the groin area. He knelt over and dropped his own weapon: a short vibroblade. "This will do nicely." Bastila picked up the vibroblade and left the room, not before landing a goodbye blow to the man's gut with her foot, of course.

Running swiftly and almost silently down a long corridor, she reached an electromagnetic door; this one much like the many others she had pummeled her way through before. Swing after swing of the vibroblade wore the door down at a steady pace. _Within a few minutes, I will have officially escaped my first situation as a captive. Damn good job, if I do say so myself. _She prided herself.

The door finally hissed open and Bastila jumped through it and into the middle of many other guards like the ones she had just taken down. She took her stance, vibroblade in hand, and jumped at her first victim. The vibroblade caught him in the collarbone and he fell on contact. Blaster fire buzzed through the facility and Bastila blocked every shot professionally. Once the final guard had fallen, Bastila recognized a sound that she never imagined to hear in her current situation. Looking up toward the source of the noise, she saw a man on the metal, loft-like walkway above her.

"Are you clapping?" she asked in an arrogant and annoyed tone. The human male with brown skin replied in light laughter.

"My name is Brejik, leader of the Black Vulkars, and you are my prized Republic soldier, ma'am. Seize her!" Brejik commanded three of his pawns. Bastila swiftly took out the smallest one, but not before the other two charged at her. She timed her dodge perfectly, jumping backwards into the air, leaving the two men to ram into each other whilst she landed on her feet.

"Idiots," Brejik exhaled then exclaimed, "Droids!"

Six darkly-red colored assassin droids appeared behind Bastila's frame, two of which grabbed her arms before she had a chance to retaliate. The vibroblade fell from her grasp and clattered to the floor. She was escorted back to her "quarters" with two blaster rifles pressed against her back. When she reached the familiar cell, she was injected with a serum to keep her in a heavily sedated state for a long time. The needle pierced her porcelain skin, stinging, but she never flinched. Bastila was too distracted to flinch, determining just how she would make her escape. Her eyelids grew heavy and she became disoriented, then reluctantly passed out in her cell.

_**~Time Lapse~**_

A strange humming noise appeared in Bastila's ears first, followed by the shouting of obnoxious and seemingly angry people. As her surroundings finally caught up with her mind, she recalled faint conversations the guards had during their posts. She was at a swoop race between two rival gangs and **she** was the prize.

_Force! How do I get myself into these predicaments? First, the incident with Malak's interference and now.._ Bastila gasped. _I hope he got out alive. I can't fail the council. _

"Brejik, just give me what I won and I'll leave you be. No harm, no foul," said a masculine, slightly deep voice with an edge so sharp it seemed as though it could slice the air. Bastila opened her eyes quickly. After a moment of adjusting to the light and her dizziness faded, she saw a muscular figure with unimaginably black hair mouthing Brejik. _He made it!_

"Devin, don't let him take her!" another male voice yelled out to the black haired man. Bastila glanced in his direction remembering the voice. _It was Carth! Carth Onasi made it out of the Edar Spire alive! And so did the council's only hope at a Republic redemption. Now to get myself free._

Before Bastila had the chance to realize it, fighting ensued. The black haired man, Devin, patiently defended himself from Brejik's aggressive attacks. He was very skilled with a blade, but she figured it was time for her own intervention. Bastila concentrated hard on breaking the restrictions of the neural band upon her forehead, then on destroying the bars that held her captive. The band wrapped around her head from temple to temple cracked and fell to the cell floor. As the guards turned to find the source of the noise, the bars holding her captive shattered as if someone had wrapped them in c4 from top to bottom. The blast was so strong it had knocked her guards to the ground, disorienting them enough that she knew she would not have to worry about them. Bastila's skinny, athletic frame stepped out of the cell as if nothing had ever happened.

"Brejik, you didn't think those bars would actually hold me, did you?" Bastila spat in the man's direction. He was being overwhelmed by the dark haired man's attacks. She bent over, picking up a spare vibroblade laying near the fallen guard and sprang into battle beside Devin. It was a one sided fight to start with, but this was just completely unfair to Brejik. _"And for some strange reason, I don't care."_

"No!" Brejik yelled out as Devin struck him down. His limp body landing on the ground dramatically. A young, blue twi'lek girl raided Brejik's dead body, looting it and the rest of the guards of their belongings.

"Bastila, you're alive!" Carth ran to her, stopping beside Devin. Bastila sensed tension within the group, but it was the least of her concerns at the moment and certainly could wait.

"Didn't think any less of me did you, Commander?" Bastila replied with a smile, then directed her attention to the dark haired man. "Bastila Shan, Jedi. Your technique could use work," she stated matter-of-factly.

"My technique got us this far and saved you didn't it, Princess?" he replied. _Who is he to call me "princess"? _"Devin Yikil, Republic Soldier. Nice to meet the legendary Bastila Shan. I hate to cut this reunion short, but we should probably head to the safe house before the Sith patrols come through."

_**~End Chapter~**_

Thanks for reading! I will most likely edit this quite a few times, but please review! I appreciate any constructive criticism.


	3. Chapter 2: Escaping Dreadfulness, Part 1

Control

Chapter 2: Escaping Dreadfulness, Part 1

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any rights to the Star Wars franchise. I only own this story. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is the property of BioWare and LucasArts. No copyright infringement is intended by this work of fiction.

Enjoy :)

By the time Bastila and her four new-found companions walked halfway back to their safe house, Bastila knew two things for sure. One, she was absolutely SCREWED. Two, Carth Onasi was the whiniest Republic Commander she had ever had the displeasure of meeting. Devin and Carth fought the entire walk about the Commander's "trust issues". _These idiots managed to find me on this huge planet?_

"Sorry to interrupt your little quarrel," the Jedi Padawan said in a sweet, yet heavily sarcastic tone, "what planet are we on?" The arguing stopped instantly.

"You seriously don't know? I thought Jedi knew everything...," the twil'ek teen replied, eyeing Bastila with great suspicion. Her name was Mission Vao and apparently she had no parents, unless a large wookie counted as a guardian. Although she was very young, Bastila could tell she could look out for herself quite well. Bastila also noticed a closeness between the teenage girl and Devin.

"No, I do not know. I was captured shortly after my escape pod crash landed." Carth looked at Bastila and gave her a smile that she swore he had practiced over and over in the mirror. It was the cheesiest, "I'll save you!" expression anyone could have ever imagined. Devin must have noticed it as well because he burst into a hysterical fit of laughter.

"Before this man makes an even BIGGER fool of himself, we're on Taris. Your pod crash landed in the undercity," Devin explained to her while walking between Bastila and Mission toward an apartment complex's doorway. "We can discuss details when we get to the safe house, I'm beat from all this royalty saving." Bastila glanced at the dark haired _menace_ and swore she saw a quick wink from him. She paused, scoffing at the gesture, and followed in the groups' footsteps seconds later.

Bastila took the time to read her companions' body language whilst following them to their destination. She sized them up quite nicely, which was really no personal surprise to herself. Carth walked with a "knight in shining armor" attitude, but his actual personality was quite the opposite. The way he continued to glance over his shoulder conveyed a sense of insecurity that wasn't usually present in someone with as much war experience as he had. Mission was bouncing along, carefree. She really was too young to be this independent, but the others treated her as if she had carried her own weight, thus far.

Last but not least, the un-named leader of their little entourage: Devin Yikil. _Oh force, where did the council come up with these names? _He certainly had the leadership qualities that others had boasted on for years before his "realignment". Little did he know, he was born Revan Xan: former Jedi prodigy and, more well-known throughout the galaxy, former Dark Lord of the Sith.

"Hey! Bastila! Pay attention, we're here! Wait until you meet Zaalbar. He's a character!" Mission loudly informed Bastila of their arrival at the safe house. _Did she inject herself with too many stims? _

"Devin Yikil?" a strange voice came from the shadows. The entire group looked up at the stranger as he walked toward them. He appeared so quickly that Bastila swore he had been waiting for their arrival. _Really __**safe**__ safehouse, guys. Thanks a bunch.._

"I'm sorry you must be mistaken..." Devin started but was cut off by a forceful reply from the strange Duro man.

"No, I am correct. My boss would like to speak with you about a business proposition. He will be waiting in the lower Taris cantina tomorrow. I strongly suggest you do not keep him waiting." The Duro departed, leaving the crew quite confused.

"That last part sounded like a threat," stated the ever-obvious Carth. Devin nodded in agreement then entered the apartment.

Inside, Bastila saw a run-down room with one bed, one couch, and one chair. Near the back wall was a workbench and a storage box. The floor was a rusty metal and the walls matched almost too precisely in wear. The lack of luxury didn't bother Bastila in the least, at least she wasn't in a cage.

Mission embraced the wookie that was relaxing in the corner. He let out a cry of anger, only to be scolded by the teenage twi'lek for "bad manners". Devin made his way over to the workbench quietly and Carth took a seat on the couch. Bastila decided it was best just to stand for now.

"So, how does a famous, powerful Jedi become a captive of a swoop gang?" Carth asked. _I knew this question was coming. How do I explain to them that I lost my connection to the force?_

"Well, like I said earlier, I _crash landed_ and was quite _jostled about._ I blacked out for a moment and _misplaced_ my lightsaber in the commotion. When the..." She was cut off. She hated being cut off.

"You _LOST_ your lightsaber? Isn't that against some sort of Jedi Code or something?" Carth was being quite stern and it did NOT amuse Bastila. On the contrary, it angered her greatly. _What does this idiot know? I don't have to explain myself to him. _Her face began to turn red and her cheeks hot with fury.

"Carth, let it go. She obviously had some troubles that couldn't have been foreseen by anyone. Not even a _commander_. She doesn't have to explain herself to you." Bastila was shocked at what had just left Devin's lips. _I just thought that. It was like he read my mind!_

"Fine. Fine. It's late, I'm going to sleep." Carth retorted in a very lackluster manner and migrated to the only bed. Devin didn't seem to care about sleep and turned back to his work. Bastila noticed that Mission was already curled up in the corner using Zaalbar as a pillow. _I should rest, too, considering I have to put up with all of these people tomorrow._ She laid down on the couch and drifted off to sleep.

***Time Lapse***

_"You cannot win, Revan"_

Those words, HER words, haunted Bastila throughout the night. The hissing of dual sabers igniting and the explosion that followed, knocking the masked Darth Revan to the ground, replayed over and over in her dreams every night since that horrible mission. She awoke, cold and shivering, no doubt from the uncertainty that her dreams were not just dreams, but a reliving of the fear she had felt the night she helped capture Revan. _Well, Malak did all the work._ Bastila sat up on the couch and adjusted her robes.

Zaalbar was snoring. Not just sawing logs, but downing entire forests. The noise was so unbearable that the Jedi Padawan knew she couldn't go back to sleep here. She stood and took very light footsteps towards the door, being careful not to wake anyone from their slumber. She left the apartment and walked down the corridor to the exit of the complex.

Taris was not the worst planet Bastila had ever seen, but it certainly was not the best either. Nowhere near. Bastila leaned on the railing on the edge of the upper city, her elbows supporting her weight. _What am I going to do? I brought Revan back, but now what? What if he turns back..._

As Bastila gazed out over Taris, a cool breeze caused strands of her hair to fall from their usual places. She wore her dark brown hair in a tight bun with a few stands falling to the side of her face. Bastila had fairly light skin, unscathed for the most part, and gray eyes she had inherited from her father. Goosebumps formed on her arms where her robes didn't cover, it was pleasant to feel fresh air after being hulled up in ships for so long.

With her eyes closed and mind full of thoughts, Bastila never noticed the presence of another. She definitely wasn't expecting anyone to pay her any attention even if they did see her. The Sith patrols weren't exactly top notch this early in the morning and Brejik's crew wasn't allowed in the upper portion of Taris. A hand lightly grazed her arm and she jolted upright, reaching for her still-absent lightsaber out of instinct.

"Calm down, princess, it's just me," Devin smiled softly. As he leaned his back against the railing and held onto it with both hands, Bastila noticed the discoloration of his eyelids. They were dark in contrast to his porcelain skin and quite baggy. He hadn't been sleeping much either.

"What are you doing up at this hour?" She questioned. He reached to his belt and clutched a hilt of a lightsaber he had lifted from the body of one of Brejik's men. _He knows, and he's going to kill me for it._ Bastila froze. He ignited the blade with a hiss, then, to Bastila's surprise, disengaged it. The saber hummed quietly, vanishing. He held the hilt out to her, but she was so shocked that she could do nothing but stare. "I fixed this. It was damaged during the fight, but it's operational now. I know it isn't yours, but I think you should have it. I'm not very familiar with lightsabers."

"Oh..Umm...well..thank you..that was very kind," Bastila stuttered. What else could she do? Revan, former Dark Lord of the Sith, just handed her a lightsaber he personally repaired AND admitted that he wasn't familiar with the weapon. _Oh how wrong you are, Devin._ "You look tired," Bastila deflected the act of kindness, tucking the lightsaber in her belt where her previous one was housed. That was all she knew to do, deflect. Devin shrugged.

"I keep having this recurring dream of a fight between a trio of Jedi and Revan," he looked up at her, his multicolored eyes piercing her neutral ones. "You're in my dream. It was when you captured Revan." _Come on Bastila! Think of something._

"How do you know that it is me? Or that the dream is what really happened?" Bastila quickly objected. She was startled. Devin shrugged and lightened his gaze, which made Bastila relax a little. Turning his body so he was leaning on his elbows that were perched upon the same railing as Bastila's, he spoke.

"Well, I've only heard stories about the capture of Revan. I don't know that they quite resemble my dream. Revan doesn't fall by your blade, he's knocked out by some sort of explosion. I know it is you because I can see your face distinctly in my dream. Your gray eyes aren't exactly normal, you know?" Devin laughed a little.

"Oh. Goodness...Well...you see, there are links in the force called "force bonds". They...usually occur between Master and Padawan...but after our traumatic experience it is quite possible that you are connecting to my memories through the force..." Bastila stumbled over her words. "Honestly, I have been having that same dream." She thought Devin could surely tell she was lying, but his expression didn't seem to say that he could. Hopefully "traumatic experience" was vague enough so that she wouldn't be completely lying to the former Dark Lord.

"Are you saying that _I_ have a connection to the _force?_" Devin looked shocked, but no more shocked than Bastila was. _He doesn't know anything. The council DID remove his memory! _

"It is quite possible, but it is late and I should retire to rest," Bastila started back toward the safehouse. "Just in case, I would keep this discussion low profile. I do not believe that Carth could stand knowing you could be force sensitive. Oh, and thank you, again." Devin just replied in a smile and a nod telling her he understood.

***Time Lapse***

"This is way too risky, there must be another way off of this planet," Bastila's voice was quiet, but stern. She was standing in the middle of the lower Taris cantina with Devin and Carth conversing with a scarred Mandalorian. Every Mandalorian she had ever had to deal with was extremely irrational and this one, Canderous Ordo, was no exception. Canderous was built like a large square with a smaller square for a head. His entire body was pure muscle and Bastila thought he looked like a stimulant experiment gone wrong. His skin lacked color and his hair was cut in a military fashion. Light reflected off a scar running down his cheek, making it stand out from the rest of his facial features.

Canderous had offered the crew a way off of Taris. His proposition included breaking into the Sith base and stealing the codes he needed for his boss and well-known crime lord, Davik Kang, to get his ship off of Taris. Then, Canderous planned on stealing the ship for himself, or, as it seemed to be turning out, themselves.

"Have a better idea in mind, do you? Fine, stay on this damn planet," the Mandalorian replied brashly. _What an absolute jerk. I wish these people weren't around so I could teach you a lesson Mr. "I'm so tough because I am a Mandalorian..."_ Bastila crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Canderous. If looks could kill, he would've been dead about ten seconds ago.

"Excuse me if I don't believe in getting myself blown to smithereens for the sake of a Mandalorian who is just looking for some pawns to do his bidding for him," the young Padawan retorted. Devin elbowed her side gently and gave her a look that parents usually give to their young children who were being disrespectful. Bastila just nodded and stood quietly.

Devin gave in to Canderous' terms just before the man decided against their deal. He agreed to help as long as he could tie up a few loose ends on Taris first. Why he wanted to spend another minute on this planet, Bastila couldn't fathom.

"Fine, do what you need to do. But, get me the codes within the next two days. You had better work fast or I will take matters into my own hands," Ordo spoke. He turned back to his drink, dismissing them to their "loose ends".

***Time Lapse***

In all of Bastila's years of being a Jedi, she had never witnessed such acts of kindness as she had today. Devin had risked his life administering a cure to the dreaded rakgoul disease to those infected in the undercity, paid off the bounty for a girl in the same apartment complex as their safe house, and healed an Ithorian whom had been attacked by Davik's men and proceeded to pay off his debt. _For a previous bastard, Revan's as straight as they come right now. Is this how he was before?_

"Devin," Bastila caught up to him as he and Carth were walking toward the droid shop to pick up a droid that could break into the Sith base, "what you've done today, you've really helped a lot of people."

"I just don't want to see anyone suffer when they don't have to," Devin replied, looking straight ahead. He had a sense of duty that Bastila had never seen before. It was unreal. They arrived at the droid shop and were greeted by a twi'lek behind the counter.

"Hello, welcome to the droid emporium. I would like to apologize in advanced for the lack of droids. They have all been taken by the Sith patrols."

"It's quite alright," Devin replied, "I am here to pick up a droid for Davik Kang, is it ready?"

"Oh! Yes, T3 is ready," the twi'lek started crunching numbers on her datapad, "that comes to a total of 2100 credits. I'll just charge it to his account. Have a wonderful day!"

The utility droid beeped into life and followed behind the group. His model was T3-M4 and was the "most advanced security droid on the planet". Carth was, again, upset because a droid could out-perform him.

"I just don't get why droids are so darn great," he mumbled to no one in particular. Bastila ignored him and Devin did the same. Then, a wonderful idea popped into Bastila's head.

"Carth, why don't you go back to the safehouse and get all of our gear and the other two ready to leave? We can take care of a few Sith, you should be rested up to help us with Davik," she almost stated _too_ excitedly.

"Yeah, good thinking. The princess, T3, and I can get the codes and we will meet you and Ordo at the Cantina," Devin agreed, thankful that someone had an idea to try and get rid of Carth for a while. Carth didn't have a chance to dispute their decision. The Jedi Padawan and Devin walked off quickly with T3 gliding behind them, beeping in a manner that suggested the droid was laughing.

Arriving at the Sith base's front door was not as much of a hassle as Bastila had first thought. The base was very exposed and had no security, save for a few inactive turrets.

"T3, take care of the security measures on that door," Bastila ordered, "I'll get rid of the turrets so that we don't have a difficult escape if things go badly." Igniting her new saber, she hacked away at the turrets and disposed of them easily. Devin stood beside T3, his foot propped up on the wall and his back resting against it.

"Looks like you have done this sort of infiltration thing before. I thought that maybe your reputation for capturing Darth Revan was a little fluffed up," Devin stated as Bastila watched T3 work on the door, "glad to see I was wrong."

"You truly don't know the half of it, Devin," _Or even a fraction of it. _Bastila thought as the door jolted to life. They entered the elevator and rode it down to the base. When the door opened, they were greeted by a woman sitting at a desk.

"Hold it! Who are you? State your identification codes," the woman commanded. Her hand was resting on a button, probably an emergency comm link.

"What a wonderful welcoming committee," Devin commented with a hint of humor, "we're not Sith, we're responding to a work order on the uplink to the mainframe computer located within the base. This is my apprentice," he motioned toward Bastila, "and my utility droid." Bastila searched the woman's mind to find conflict. She didn't know whether Devin was telling the truth or not. Suddenly, she pulled open a drawer and glanced down at a datapad.

"You're not on today's work itinerary," the woman retorted, then pressed the button and added, "imposters".

_Again! I get myself into this, again! _

***End Chapter***

Thanks for reading!

Remember to Review! :)

Authors Note: As I stated in the prologue, I will be reposting each chapter with revisions. Then, I will continue the story as planned. Thanks for sticking with my story!


	4. Chapter 3: Escaping Dreadfulness, Part 2

Control

Chapter 3: Escaping Dreadfulness, Part 2

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any rights to the Star Wars franchise. I only own this story. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is the property of BioWare and LucasArts. No copyright infringement is intended by this work of fiction.

Enjoy :)

Bastila's new lightsaber buzzed into life as the electromagnetic door behind the woman at the front desk slid open. Two Sith patrolmen, a captain, and a grenadier stepped out of the shadows of the doorway and commenced their attack on the "intruders". T3 beeped frantically, wheeling his way out of the line of fire. Devin pulled out a modified vibroblade and aggressively charged toward the grenadier, catching him off balance.

Bastila swooped after the front desk attendant, the padawan's pale-yellow saber hissing electrically as she walked toward the woman. Jedi are supposed to be pacifists of sorts, so Bastila would not attack the woman unless she armed and attacked first. The woman did just that. Pulling a blaster from her belt, and aiming it in Bastila's direction would be the last act she ever committed. The Jedi skillfully struck the woman's hand, disarming her, and swung the blade through her abdomen, ending her life.

Bastila turned to the rest of the action, seeing that T3 had engaged his flamethrower and was actively chasing one of the patrolmen with it. She almost giggled at the sight. Looking for Devin, she found him between the other patrolman and the captain.

"Devin, behind you!" Bastila cried as the patrolman was aiming a blow at Devin's backside. Devin dodged to his left, exchanging his blade from his right hand to his left in the process, and, when the patrolman was in his line of vision, he swiped his blade across the man's chest. Bastila stood stunned at the feat, but quickly regained her composure and ran to assist her teammate with the captain.

The captain was much more skilled in battle than his cohorts. He did not foolishly pull out a blaster pistol to engage the melee fighters with, nor did he let his guard down at any point. His Echani Double-blade brand took an amazing amount of damage by Bastila's saber and Devin's vibroblade, but the man's defenses wouldn't budge. Bastila backed off for a second to collect her thoughts. Her eyes lit up as she witnessed a flaw in the captain's defense. _I hope Devin gets this..."Devin, corner him into the wall."_

Devin's attacks suddenly became less precise. She thought he might have noticed her presence in his mind and blocked it. As she was about to continue her own attack on the Sith captain, something in Devin's eye made her pause. A spark: inspiration, or enlightenment maybe? Devin's attacks switched from inexperienced and mild to absolutely ferocious in about two seconds flat. _He heard me!_ Devin's blade attacked with a strength Bastila had not seen from him since she had stood against him some months ago. The captain was beyond astonished. He was taking step after step backwards and Devin had him pinned against the wall within moments.

Bastila took over the battle, she swung her blade toward his right side, connecting easily. During his short wince, Devin went for the kill with a cut to the throat. The captain gasped and fell to the floor, his hands still clenching his side.

T3 chimed in with a multitude of upbeat beeps, obviously pleased with the outcome of their confrontation. Devin and Bastila stripped the corpses, including the charcoaled one that T3 had chased down, of their weapons and any armor that they could carry.

Bastila stole a quick glance in the direction of the former Sith Lord. His face was painted with a very light layer of sweat and, although he was breathing deeply, Devin was not hardly as winded as herself at the moment. _It's certainly a good thing he doesn't realize the endurance and strength he possesses. He might just start wondering where it came from._

"Can I help you with something, princess?" Devin's deep voice sent a shiver down Bastila's spine. _He must have noticed me watching him. Deflect Bastila._

"T3 can you open a comm link to Carth Onasi, please?" Bastila asked, completely ignoring Devin and his smirk. T3 chimed in agreement and in a few seconds they heard a response.

"Carth here," came a familiar voice through the static.

"Carth, gather Mission and Zaalbar and get down here. The front door is open. We will wait for you all in the lobby," the Jedi padawan directed. She knew they couldn't take down an entire base with two blades and a pyromaniac utility droid.

"Yes, ma'am. Carth out."

Bastila settled herself on top of the desk in the center of the room. The bodies of the Sith officers littered the floor. Being a force-sensitive child in the enclave, Bastila was use to seeing death and destruction daily. In fact, after a certain someone left the order for the outer rim, death and destruction became synonyms for life to most Jedi.

"Master Vandar, Master Vrook, anyone, help me please!" echoed a frantic voice from within the corridors of Dantooine's Jedi enclave. Bastila, who had been sitting in her bunk reading a science-fiction novel, jumped at the noise. Closing her book, she walked to the door and peaked out into the hallway, seeing a multitude of sandaled feet sprinting toward the cry. Bastila was fifteen at the time and had not hit her growth spurt, nor did she have the self esteem she would discover a few years later. Her feet carried her toward the cry, stepping lightly as if any extra force would cause more pain to whomever was injured.

A crowd had formed around a young twi'lek male's body. Pressing into the crowd, they parted and from the tips of her toes she recognized his face. Er'kol was her age and had just been promoted to Padawan status. He was one of the more promising students at the academy from their age group. Whispers through the crowd drew her attention from the limp body being tended to by their masters.

"Revan is recruiting..."

"I heard if you say no..."

"...you die."

Bastila's face froze in astonishment. _Surely they are mistaken. Revan would not harm his own brother, would he? _Revan belonged to the same age group as Bastila and Er'kol; however, he had already surpassed all of them and gone on to become an extremely successful Jedi Knight. Until he betray the wishes of the Order. Now, he was a monster.

A hand grasped Bastila's shoulder, but was blown away quickly as she willed it. Focusing her attention back on the present, she realized what exactly had just happened. Not knowing what she was doing, Bastila had force pushed Devin into the wall behind her. As he began to stand slowly, she clasped her hands over her mouth in awe.

"Thanks a lot princess. I was just trying to see if you were okay. Miss 'I stare blankly into space like a zombie'," he joked. Bastila did not see the joke at all. She could've KILLED him.

_You couldn't have killed him. He's much stronger than you. Plus, you knew it was him the whole time._

"You should NOT startle me like that! You could've been killed! Idiot! Are you alright?" she retorted harshly, not sure whether she was actually mad at the man standing before her who was obviously not aware of the amount of force that had been exerted on him moments ago. The impact of force in relation to the impact of the wall would easily crush any normal Republic soldier's chest.

"You call me an idiot and _then_ ask if I'm okay? What kind of princess are you? Not very concerned about your knights," Devin joked. Before Bastila could respond with an equally as sarcastic and much more malicious come back, Carth and the rest of the crew came through the elevator door that she, Devin, and T3 had broken into earlier.

"Devin!" Mission yelled excitedly. Zaalbar roared. _He is truly a beast of few words. Mission really idolizes Devin; It really is too bad she doesn't know the truth._

"Hey, Mission. Zaalbar." Devin nodded with a smile in their respective directions.

"Fine. Leave the Republic Commander out," Carth whined again. _Remind me why in the hell I told him to come? _Devin ignored the grown man whom acted like a five year old, as did everyone else for the moment.

Mission asked T3 try to slice into the main computer located in the front desk. The little droid easily did so and was downloading the base schematics, beeping sporadically. In the meantime, Devin outfit himself with the Echani battle armor the captain had been wearing during the fight. He took the captain's Echani double-blade, as well. Mission was equipping herself with a new blaster pistol from the front desk attendant and Carth helped himself to the rest of the blasters he came across, tossing them in Zaalbar's direction for the beast to carry.

"What the hell happened to him?" Mission pointed to the crispy-looking man near the left wall. T3 beeped in what sounded like laughter.

"Just don't get on T3-M4's bad side, okay?" Devin retorted, suppressing laughter himself and patting Mission on the back.

"Will do...," Mission eyed the little droid as he detached himself from the computer's uplink. T3 wheeled himself to the door nearest the Sith a la barbeque and made quick work of its security measures.

The group followed the lead of the utility droid down the winding corridors of the Taris Sith base. On the way toward the mainframe room, where the information they needed to obtain was housed, they faced patrol droids and wide variety of Sith followers. None of which posed a great threat to the six man/droid team. Most found their fates inside a one hit wonder by way of blaster rifle. When they entered a larger, lobby-styled room in the core of the base, they found a distressed Duro locked in a torture chamber.

"Please, help me. I didn't do anything to deserve this," the Duro pleaded. Devin stepped toward the Duro prisoner, listening to his story intently. _He is truly an intriguing person. Always so noble in his cause. How did anyone as dedicated to helping people bring so much hatred and pain to the universe?_

"How can I help you?" Devin spoke softly. The Duro explained that a mechanism on the wall was the security system. It controlled whether he was freed or executed. Devin studied the automated plates on the wall and started experimenting with combinations of button presses. Eventually, all the lights turned red and the Duro's prison chamber faded away.

"Oh, thank you sir! Thank you! I must leave this place, please take this," Devin put his hand up in rejection and shook his head. Bastila's jaw dropped slightly. _He's turning down money? Corrupted people don't turn down the chance to make a quick buck._

"Keep it. Go on, get out of here before the Sith realize you're gone," Devin hurried the man out and turned to the shortest of the bunch, "lead the way T3."

Bastila couldn't keep from watching Devin. He carried himself with such pride, as if he had been the same man his entire life. As if he had never become a monster. _I guess, for all he knows, he has been the same forever. I won't take that from him. He could be a powerful Jedi without knowing his true past._

The crew reached the mainframe room and armed for battle before entering, suspecting the presence of many Sith officers. T3 opened the door, startling a few technicians manning the computers. Carth, Mission, and Zaalbar made quick work of each of them, while Devin and Bastila stood ready to take over the fighting if one of them wasn't able to defeat their opponent easily. After the technicians were out of the way, T3 rolled to the main computer's uplink and searched the archives for the launch codes they needed.

Devin searched the technicians for medpacs and any other useful items. Bastila walked over to T3 watching the computer screens flash a series of numbers. T3 let out a series of beeps and various other quirky noises, then detached himself from the uplink. He wheeled himself out of the mainframe room, leaving the rest of the group confused.

"T3?" Mission asked curiously, "T3, did you get what we needed?" He replied with a few low frequencty beeps. Mission translated the gibberish for her puzzled team members. The codes simply were not in the mainframe systems.

"Well, great. What now?" Carth's poor attitude was now justified. Bastila was posted up against the large computer, thinking. At this point, Zaalbar and Devin began pacing.

"The codes have to be here somewhere. Someone must have them, so we will find them. It's that simple, Carth." the Jedi replied. She untied her hair, swept the stray hairs back in their places and retied it into a loose, low, pony-tail. While doing this, she felt as though someone was watching her. The padawan didn't turn to discover whether it was true or not.

"Right, so let's get moving! I want to be off this planet like five minutes ago," Mission added. On their way out of the room, Bastila noticed that Devin was exceptionally quiet since their battle in the front lobby. _Did he feel my presence in his mind? Did I scare him?_

The group all agreed with Mission's statement and quickly moved toward the next door, which ended up being an elevator that T3 unlocked when he had sliced into the mainframe computer. The door activated revealing a large assault droid. The white, monstrous droid hummed and extended upward when it recognized a presence in the room. It's shield activated and it open fired on the group.

"Quick! Split up!" yelled Devin as he sprinted from the doorway. The others followed in suite, scattering across the room. Bastila willed her feet to move faster, and thanks to the force, she doubled her normal speed. Activating her saber, she hacked away at the droid's shield, relocating every few seconds and keeping her distance from the droid's blasters.

Devin pulled out his new Echani double-blade and followed Bastila's example. He stabbed and sliced at the droid's shield. Unlike Bastila, however, Devin was stung by the droid's energy blasts a few times. After a combined effort of the group, they destroyed the droid's shield and took a moment to catch their breath while still dodging blaster fire.

"Mission, disable that damn thing!" Bastila encouraged the young, mastermind twi'lek. Mission smiled and ran at the droid, slicing through the wiring that allowed the droid to function with her own personal vibroblade. The droid sparked and twitched vigorously, finally shutting down. With a loud thud, the droid was finished.

T3 drove himself to the larger droid's side and started removing the parts that could be of use to him. He beeped for Mission to install the stronger plating onto his tiny frame. Bastila couldn't believe T3 had a sense of self-preservation that was that prevalent. Remembering seeing Devin get hit a few times by blaster fire, she decided to check his wounds.

"Are you okay?" She asked Devin, walking to where he was leaned against the wall holding his arms across his chest. Bastila was referring to both his wounds and strange personality change, but she guessed he didn't realize that.

"Yes. I'm just fine. A few minor burns, nothing I can't deal with, princess," he smiled in reply. She just rolled her eyes, relieved that he was being personable again.

"Glad to see you keep your sense of humor, or lack thereof, in the face of adversity."

"Oh, so the Jedi _do_ have personalities," he continued to joke as Bastila walked back toward Mission. She turned around forcefully and took an aggressive stance, placing her hands on her hips.

"You are the most..." Bastila started, but was cut off when Zaalbar growled to them. The group had already left the room and were heading into the elevator. Bastila decided just to let it go and save the arguing for another day. They followed behind the scruffy beast into the elevator, Bastila wondering where exactly they were heading this time.

The elevator ride was not as eventful as what was to come when it was over. As the elevator halted, the crew hauled out everything they had taken from their victims, minus the one single thing they needed: the launch codes. Devin was so determined to find the codes that he searched every inch of space that they passed.

"They have to be here. Ordo said they would be here," Devin kept telling himself. Bastila couldn't help but smile at the man's determination and faith. He trusted the word of a man they had just recently met, a _Mandalorian_, no less. Out of the corner of her eye, the Jedi saw Mission smiling in her direction and giving her a strange look. She dropped back to see what she wanted.

"Mission," Bastila greeted plainly, "need something?"

"Oh, no. Do _you _need something? Or _someone_, perhaps?" Mission was a devious little twi'lek. But, she was also a drama-seeking teenage girl. Bastila was taken aback.

"What?" Mission just shook her head and continued walking, speeding up a bit to help Devin search. Carth also helped them search while "silently" reminding himself how much he wanted off of "this barren, god-forsaken planet" (Carth's personal words, minus a few vulgar terms). Zaalbar was carrying all their newfound gear and T3 was scanning the area for electrical spikes that may clue them as to where the launch codes were housed. The team was finally presented with a final door. T3 opened the door revealing a middle-aged man armed with a red lightsaber. He wore black robes and was obviously a new recruit, force sensitive Sith follower.

"Ah! So young! I expected much more _mature soldiers_ to walk through the door," the man stated. He scanned the crew, not recognizing any of them particularly. _Thank the force for Revan's strange need to wear a mask._ "I believe I have what it is you are looking for. I am terribly sorry that you will all meet your demise before you're able to use it, however."

Bastila ignited her saber. _I wish this was my double-blade. Dueling would be so much easier._ Devin also armed himself with his double-blade and Carth with his personal blaster. Once the team of three stepped over the elevator door's threshold, the door buzzed closed and locked behind them. T3 beeped frantically behind the door and the others began to beat on its reinforced frame.

"Well, looks like we're on our own," Bastila stated simply, only to be annoyed by the great Carth Onasi yet again.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't get hurt, prin-"

"Say it, and it will be the last word you ever utter, Carth," she forcefully interrupted him with hatred beaming from her eyes. They hadn't noticed, however, that Devin had already started attacking the Sith governor.

"A little help from the _Commander_ and the _Jedi_ would be nice," Devin yelled to get their attention while evading the buzzing saber that belonged to the Sith. Bastila sprung into action immediately, swinging her lightsaber at the man's weaker points. Devin, who was no longer getting attacked, helped on the offensive and coordinated his attacks with Bastila. She swung on the governor's left, and as he blocked to the left, Devin made contact on the right. The battle continued this way for the duration of the fight with a few of Carth's long distance shots making contact, as well.

The governor finally caught onto the duo's technique and began to start blocking both sides efficiently enough to minimize the amount of damage he was taking. When the governor was finally able to start landing blows of his own, the elevator door hissed open. The distraction was all that Bastila and Devin needed. Devin rolled backwards, drawing their opposition out into the open floor. As the Sith fell into Devin's trap, Bastila force jumped to his weakest side and landed blow after blow.

The governor collapsed from the large amount of damage his vital organs had suffered. He took his last breath before Bastila could disengage her weapon. Mission stood in awe at the two.

"Woah! That was amazing! It was like pow-then zrrb, zrrb, and finally boom!" Mission exclaimed while moving her arms frantically, mocking their fight. Devin just smiled at the girl and put his hand on her shoulder. Carth holstered his blaster and took the codes from the governor's security box, while staying as far away from Bastila as possible. _Hmm, I should have been mean when he first started annoying me. I enjoy this. _Bastila smiled and followed her team out of the Sith base.

***Time Lapse***

"Quick Carth, get this bucket of bolts off the ground! NOW!" Yelled an extremely distraught Devin. After finally reaching the Ebon Hawk, Davik Kang's ship located in the smuggler's personal spaceport, the crew plus Canderous Ordo had a _wonderful_ confrontation with Davik and his right hand man, Calo Nord, in the hangar. The confrontation was ended quickly when bombs and gunfire began to wreak havoc on Taris. Davik's estate began to fall apart and it, ironically, came crashing down on both himself and Calo. Canderous, the Mandalorian, stripped Davik of his armor and ushered the rest of the crew onto the Hawk. Now, they were in the process of attempting to get the ship into space without being incinerated.

"Hurry! The building is collapsing!" Bastila yelled while running down the main corridor toward the cockpit. She braced herself against the wall as they took off. Devin stumbled, but caught himself on a chair before he ended up falling on the floor. Carth was piloting the Hawk, weaving in and out of debris flying around the planet's atmosphere. While Bastila couldn't stand Carth, she had to admit that he was a decent pilot.

"Get ready for the ju-DAMN!" Carth exclaimed. "Devin, get to the turrets, we've got company." Devin ran to the ladder in the middle of the main corridor, and climbed into the turret hull. He got strapped in and started firing on the opposing fighters within seconds of Carth's command. Devin was certainly a previous military man, no doubt.

Bastila took a seat beside Carth and watched the fighters explode into a million pieces as the turret's energy blasts made contact with them. Devin took the fighters out swiftly, one to two at a time, yelling praise to himself with every explosion. When the last fighter was gone, Bastila heard Devin slide down the ladder without taking a step and turned to see him, sweat beads rolling down his strong face.

"Got them, let's go!" Devin stated loudly. Carth kicked on the accelerators and input the hyperspace coordinates. They jumped without warning, which caused some commotion within the other parts of the ship. Mainly with Mission, who was already settled in a cot, furious because she was knocked into the floor. Devin laughed at the girl's frustration with Carth, calmed her down, and sent her back to bed with a smile.

"Carth, set a course for Dantooine," Bastila got up from her seat and headed off to the room Mission was occupying. She knew she was getting strange looks from both Carth and Devin right about now, but she didn't care. The Jedi Enclave needed to inspect Devin, a.k.a. Revan, and his progress. As for the moment though, Bastila needed meditation and sleep more than anything.

***End Chapter***

A/N: I LOVE getting reviews, so please review and tell me what you think about the story so far. Also, big thanks to the people who put this on their story alert and/or favorite stories lists. The response is much higher than I had ever imagined. :)


	5. Chapter 4: Knowing Devin

Control

Chapter 4: Knowing Devin...

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any rights to the Star Wars franchise. I only own this story. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is the property of BioWare and LucasArts. No copyright infringement is intended by this work of fiction.

I have to apologize for being so late in updating my story. Both of my parents had some medical emergencies and I have been out of the writing mood. Everything is getting back to normal now and here is my newest chapter (written before the family issues). I will be updating more regularly until I move to school.

Thanks for sticking with me and reading! Hope you enjoy it!

Sleep evaded Bastila like the plague that night. Taris was gone, she was sure of that. The large disturbance she felt looming in the back of her mind was proof. After a few hours of laying on the metal and quite uncomfortable cot in the same room as Mission, the Jedi padawan decided it was best to find a quiet place to meditate. She rose from her bed and her robes flowed back down toward the familiar floor. Leaving her lightsaber behind, the padawan walked ever so lightly, careful not to wake the sleeping teenager, toward the living quarters' door. It hissed open and Bastila began her journey for peace upon the Hawk.

Peace. Something so simple, yet so difficult to find. No matter where her light footsteps took her across the corridors of the Ebon Hawk, Bastila never found peace or quiet. Canderous Ordo was stretched out on a mattress pad in the large training room mumbling in his sleep. As far as Bastila could tell the Mandalorian was reliving his glory days of ruthless assault and he was definitely enjoying it. Rather than stay and listen to his brutal comments whilst he enjoyed the luxury of sleep, Bastila tip-toed through the commons area. Zaalbar had taken residence in a dark corner of this room, snoring loudly again, but not as loudly as he had the previous nights. Deciding that Carth was probably asleep on the bridge, Bastila didn't travel down that corridor. She opted for the back hall that led to an engine room.

The engine room wasn't spacious, nor was it completely quiet. The low humming of the engine compartment was annoying, but it could be ignored. Bastila sat on the floor and crossed her legs in front of her. The young woman rubbed her eyes sleepily, then rested her arms on her legs. Taking slow, deep breaths, she drifted into a lesser state of consciousness. Her mind became a detailed movie reel of everything she had ever done. The memory of the day the Master's discovered Bastila's gift floated into her mind. The feelings rushed through her body: happiness, self-worth, belonging. She was no longer _just_ an initiate. She was _special_. Master Vrook finally paid attention to her during training. She was also in the top of her class when it came to technique.

Bastila's entire demeanor changed within a split second as her thoughts drifted to her parents. Her mother. _She drove me away, she wanted me to be taken away._ Bastila became stiff and she opened her eyes. Taking in her surroundings, she recognized the humming of the engine compartment and the distant snoring of the large Wookie, but there was one sound that she couldn't place. It sounded like metal clashing with electricity. The padawan stood, running her hands over her robes in an attempt to straighten them from their current wrinkled state. She slipped her sandals off and stepped lightly down the corridor to her left, searching for the source of the mysterious sound. Every few steps, the sound became louder. _A sword?_ Bastila made it to the storage room to hear the grunting and heavy breathing of a man. _What the-_

"What are you doing up?" Bastila jumped at the question. Devin was standing directly in front of her, sweating profusely with only a pair of baggy, tan, cargo-styled pants on. His physique was flawless and Bastila certainly took notice. _Stop you idiot, _she told herself, _speak._

"I..I, um, what are you doing up making all of this noise? You'll wake everyone on this ship AND the passing planets. Geez." _Yes, deflect. Good Bastila._ She stood her ground, crossing her arms over her chest. Devin just shrugged and looked toward the sword in his hand.

"Practicing, thinking. Is that a crime, Princess?" he smiled his ever famous crooked smile. Bastila couldn't figure him out. He was supposed to be this ruthless, harsh being with no emotions, but he wasn't that at all. She was at a loss for words. Finally, she gave up.

"Do you mind if I observe?" Bastila asked looking at Devin's expression. His crooked smile never left, and he shook his head in reply. Bastila strode over to a durasteel container and sat on it with her tan, toned legs crossed and dangling off the edge. Devin activated a remote droid that was apparently left behind by one of Davik's men. Bastila watched as he tensed, swung, and jerked, blocking each energy blast. One or two would hit him, but once he got back into his rhythm he could evade or block the majority of them. Unfortunately, Bastila knew that one hit from a lightsaber could be deadly. Devin stole a glance at Bastila and saw the tinge of worry on her face. He lowered his blade, forgetting to disengage the remote, and felt the familiar pain of burning flesh in his lower arm.

"Son of a-" He swore softly, keeping in mind that they were probably the only two people still up at such a late hour. Bastila leapt down from her seat and disengaged the remote on her way to checking on him.

"Give me your arm," the Jedi said softly.

"The expression is, 'give me your hand', princess," the muscular man stated while chuckling, "and I believe I should be the one to ask for such an honor, but if that's how the Jedi do, then- OWE!" While Devin was continuing his rant, Bastila dug her fingernail into his wound. She smiled with her lips pressed together.

"Oops, sorry. Did that hurt?" She laughed to herself. _He may not be the ruthless bastard he once was, but he's such a pig. _Bastila slowed her breathing, closing her eyes, and concentrating solely on that single point in the vast universe. The burn began to fade, and the young woman could feel Devin's ligaments tighten and loosen as he wiggled his fingers.

"Thank you," Devin whispered softly as Bastila opened her eyes. He sat down against the wall looking at the discolored place where the stinging burn use to reside on his arm. Bastila sat against the durasteel container, across from him. She noticed a strange scar on his opposite forearm.

"You're welcome. Where did you get that scar?" Bastila couldn't help but ask. She didn't know why, but it seemed familiar. _A scar? Familiar? On the dark lord of the Sith? Okay, I am seriously loosing it. _His eyes immediately went to the scar Bastila was gazing upon. A confused look spread across the features of his face.

"I don't really know," he finally responded. _Of course he wouldn't remember. He was probably Revan when he got it. _

Bastila nodded and looked him over, discreetly of course. And merely for educational purposes. _Yeah, that's right. _For a man who is supposed to be so powerful and evil, he had extremely clear skin. Besides a few minor scars, there was nothing that suggested he had a dark, secret past. His eyes weren't yellow with taint, and he didn't have the tinge of gray coloration to his complexion. His deep multicolored eyes did nothing but add to the young man's attractiveness. Although he didn't tower over Bastila, Devin was tall. Tall, dark (_formerly)_, and handsome.

"Why are we going to Dantooine?" Devin asked, leaning the back of his head against the wall.

"I have to get back to my Masters, and...we need to talk to them," Bastila replied, reluctant to reveal that last detail.

"We?" he was confused.

"Yes, we. You're obviously force sensitive. There is absolutely no other explanation for how your "rescue" went so smoothly," Bastila began.

"Smoothly? You think it went _smoothly?_" Devin interjected. Bastila just rolled her eyes.

"It is too dangerous to leave someone so _connected_ to the force untrained. I do not know if the Masters will take you on as an initiate, but they may under my personal recommendation." Devin nodded, eyeing Bastila suspiciously. "Do you have a question, Devin?"

"How did- Yes, I do. When we were fighting in the Sith base, against the captain, did you talk to me? Like, telepathically?" Bastila suppressed laughter.

"Telepathically? No. I entered your thoughts, through the force, and implanted an idea into your mind," she explained. _Telepathy. Ha!_

"Oh," Bastila could almost see the gears turning in his mind, then she felt it. He reached out for her. Not physically, but mentally. She sat still, not disturbing the man's concentration. "Does that work both ways? I can't do it," he said after a few moments.

"Yes. It does. But, I will leave that to the Masters," Bastila stood up and stretched slightly, yawning. Devin stood, as well. "I am going to try to get some rest, we should be docking in a few hours." Devin nodded and walked to a pile of clothes in the floor. He slipped on his skin tight shirt and boots and walked toward the doorway.

"Goodnight Bastila," his crooked smile making Bastila smile in reply. Devin walked out of the cargo hold and Bastila followed, walking to the right, in the opposite direction of the former Sith Lord. _Oh, life's wonderful ironies. I cannot remain remotely passive for five minutes and I can actually remember going through my training. He is an evil man with amnesia AND is much more calm than I could ever be. _Bastila quietly slipped back into her quarters and saw that Mission was still sleeping soundly. The young padawan settled into her cot, closed her eyes, and willed herself to sleep.

The night was restless for the great Bastila Shan. As soon as she would drift to sleep, she would startle herself awake. The evil Revan's masked face pierced deeply into her thoughts. She heard the clanking of the Ebon Hawk's landing gear and decided it was a good time to get up and pay her masters a visit. The powerful woman showered, changed her robes, and fixed her hair into the normal bun before anyone else realized they had landed in the Jedi enclave of Dantooine.

Walking off of the Ebon Hawk, she strode her way down into the base of the enclave. She heard the whispers of the early-bird padawans she passed in the corridors. Smiling and nodding respectfully, she ignored their praise. Her mind was on much more pressing matters than her own ego, Devin. _He's REVAN, you idiot. Dark Lord! Evil! Muahaha!..That kind of thing. Not some guy you met in a cantina. Please get a grip!_ Her thoughts waged war inside of her mind as she waited for the presence of her masters in their main hall. Dorak, Vandar, and Vrook entered simultaneously with Zhar following moments behind. Bastila bowed in respect.

"Good morning, masters. Are you all well?" She stood with her hands clasped, as they bowed back in respect. The crackling voice of master Vandar answered.

"Well we are, Padawan Bastila Shan. Worried about you, we were," Vandar was always Bastila's favorite of the enclave's council. He was the most honest and straight forward, which she respected highly.

"I am sorry for the worry. I am fine, as are Carth Onasi and Dev-" she studdered, "Revan."

"He survived? Where have you all been?" asked Vrook, her first actual teacher at the academy. She remembered the class well.

"Yes, he survived and saved me from an unfortunate event. We left the Endar Spire on separate escape pods, I was alone. Commander Onasi departed the ship sometime after, accompanied by a man he knows as Devin Yikil." Bastila smirked at the poor name choice. The masters were knowledgeable in many aspects; however, creating names was not one of those. "The crash landed knocked me unconscious and I awoke as a prisoner of a swoop gang in the undercity of Taris. Devin and Carth managed to find me and help me escape. We got off of Taris just before it came under attack by the Sith fleet...It's gone isn't it?"

Bastila looked up as the council nodded in unison. She solemnly nodded back and took a deep breath. She decided that she would tell Mission before she found out from an outsider. Then, she worked up the courage to ask the council the question that had been burning inside of her all night.

"Can Revan be trained again? As a Jedi?"

***End Chapter***

As always review please! Thanks again for continuing to read my story!


	6. Chapter 5: Padawan

Control

Chapter 5: Padawan

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any rights to the Star Wars franchise. I only own this story. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is the property of BioWare and LucasArts. No copyright infringement is intended by this work of fiction.

Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! Enjoy!

Bastila's question came out rather abruptly and the enclave's Jedi council stood in front of her mumbling. _Probably contemplating my sanity. _The sun was now shining through the large "sky light" in the middle of the main hall of the enclave. The large tree that had grown into the center of the main hall reflected light into each of the adjacent four halls, including the one she was standing in. The sunlight warmed her back for a second, but the warmth was interrupted strangely. She turned around to see what was blocking the warm rays of light, it was Devin. _REVAN DAMMIT!_

"I..um," Devin looked around the enclave, surely taking in his surroundings. _Hopefully not remembering this place._ His eyes turned to Bastila and then toward the hand motioning for him to come to her. He did as she wished.

"They're determining whether or not to make yo-" Bastila whispered to Devin, but was interrupted when the council turned toward them in unison.

"Devin, you are?" Vandar took a few very short steps forward. Bastila could feel that Devin had no idea how to respond. _Just be respectful, you'll be fine._

"Yes, Devin Yikil. It is an honor Master Jedi," Devin bowed as Bastila mentally rolled her eyes. The small statured Vandar waved his hand while shaking his head.

"No need to bow. Connection to the force, you have?"

"Bastila believes I do. She said something about a force bond, we've been sharing dreams," Devin replied with a shaky tone. He was nervous in front of the masters who had trained him from the start. _Irony at its finest._

"What kind of dreams?" Master Vrook asked while looking towards Bastila. Bastila found herself biting her lip, a nervous habit she developed while training in this very enclave. _I hope I haven't failed them. Failure isn't an option._

"Well, Master Vrook, it is more of a vision of when I helped capture Revan on board his vessel. However, last night I envisioned Revan's presence here, after he turned to the dark side of course. He and Malak were in what looked like an ancient tomb-"

"and they found some sort of map?" Devin finished in a question like tone. Bastila looked at him in awe and nodded.

"It seems you two do have a force bond. Strange. Bastila's connection with Revan during their fight must have somehow connected to you, as well, Devin," Master Dorak came forward this time. Obviously intrigued. "Well, Devin, it is not customary that we train someone of your...age. However, this is a _special_ circumstance under which we will take you on as a padawan, if you wish."

"It would be an honor. I will do my best, masters. Thank you," Devin sealed his fate with those words and training began immediately. Master Dorak motioned for Devin to follow him and Bastila tagged along behind. The masters explained the force and the Jedi teachings to their newest initiate while walking toward Bastila's first classroom. She was only 4 years old when she began her training here under Master Vrook. While she was in the middle of a long lost memory of her childhood, Bastila didn't notice Vandar waddling towards where she was sitting along the back wall of the classroom.

"Remembering _your_ beginning here, are you not?" the gravelly voice snickered. Bastila just nodded in agreement. "Bright, you were. Smartest in your class. Strong, he was. Funny you are together again, it is?" _HE? REVAN? Revan was in MY class?_ Vandar must have sensed the strong thoughts running through Bastila's mind, as he began to chuckle and waddled away.

_How could I forget? But, I don't remember his face. There was one initiate that became a padawan much before any of the rest of us..could it be? _Bastila ran her mind backwards to the first years of her training and finally she found the boys face. Light skin, black and shaggy hair, and weird eyes. Revan. Suddenly, she was ripped from her thoughts by the sound of Devin's voice.

"There is no emotion, there is peace; There is no ignorance, there is knowledge; There is no passion, there is serenity; There is no chaos, there is harmony; There is no death... there is the force." Devin stated the Jedi Code strongly with no doubt present in his voice. His eyes focused and his stature strong, he truly did believe in the code whether he remembered it from before or not. He was quick to learn the code, but even quicker to accept it. This, no doubt, was tied to his past as a prodigy of the Jedi Order.

As Devin continued his training with Bastila's masters, Bastila decided it would be a good idea to go back to the Ebon Hawk and explain the situation to everyone. _I'll also have to tell Mission about Taris..._ Lightly stepping through the Jedi enclave, taking in the scenery that had not changed at all throughout the years, Bastila's robes danced along the cobblestone ground. She noticed the ever bickering Sandral and Matale men strolling into the enclave as if they owned it. _Idiots._

Making her way out of the enclave and toward the Hawk, Bastila noticed Carth standing in front of the hatch, looking around as if he had just ingested 7 shots of espresso. _Oh force, he's going to be the death of me._ Obviously noticing Bastila's presence, Carth tapped his foot as if he was her father waiting for her to get home late at night.

"Where in the hell have you been? Where's Devin? What's going on? I demand.." Bastila was appalled at his tone.

"Excuse me? Since when do I have to report to YOU, Onasi? Don't you dare speak to me in that manner! And where Devin and I have been is none of your business as it is a Jedi matter. I need to speak to Mission." Bastila shoved Carth aside walking onto the Hawk, but he followed.

"I have the right to know where you have been! I drive this ship remember?" He stomped behind her. Bastila's face grew bright red as she was failing to calm herself down for the umpteenth time lately. She turned to Carth and stood face to face with him, eyes glaring into his. If looks could kill, Carth would be six feet under right now. _Make that eight feet- I would stomp him down an extra two. _

"Last time I checked, you were the pilot of this ship, but I was the one that got us off Taris! Now, do you insist on continuing to badger me about matters that are of no concern to you?" Bastila was absolutely and completely heated. _One more word and I swear I'll burn his mouth shut._

"I knew it! You and Devin are plotting something aren't you? What is going on around here?" Carth was relentless. Bastila's eyes were full of hatred and disgust and a smug smirk crossed her face as she raised her foot and forcefully stomped it down on Carth Onasi's foot. He yelled out so loudly that Mission and Zalbaar ran into the hall to see what was wrong. Bastila was leaning against the wall in the hallway, quite content with her actions and relaxed while Carth was sitting on the floor holding his foot tightly.

"What in the?" Mission started as footsteps were heard coming from the hatch. Devin rounded the corner, took one look at the situation, and just walked away laughing.

"YOU! This is your fault! Where have you been?" Carth began again. Zalbaar, bored obviously, sauntered back into his corner and laid down. Mission followed in Devin's footsteps and the smirk on Bastila's face disappeared again.

"What is your problem? Didn't I tell you it was none of your business?" Devin turned to see Bastila's hand move toward her lightsaber, out of instinct of course, but this still wasn't good. He slid between the duo, staring down into Bastila's eyes only inches from her face. _Yay! More awkwardness. Great._

"Bastila, calm down. There is no emotion," Devin said calmly taking control of the situation. Bastila closed her eyes, ashamed that a padawan was spouting the Jedi code at her. She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"There is peace. Thank-"

"Wait! What? How do you-" Devin rolled his eyes and smiled at Bastila, then turned toward the loud mouth behind him.

"And you, quit fucking yelling! Want to know what is going on? Just ask me, you dim wit! I'm training to become a Jedi." Mission's jaw dropped and Carth, surprisingly, was speechless. Devin took a couple light steps toward Mission and looked back, motioning for Bastila to come along.

_"Taris?"_ She asked although she already knew the answer.

_"Taris." Wait, he answered through the force!_ Devin must have heard her thoughts because he chuckled ever so subtly. Bastila followed the twi'lek and the reinstated Jedi padawan through the corridors into the women's quarters. Devin put his hand on Mission's shoulder. _They should have been siblings._

"Mission, you might want to sit down. We need to tell you something," the young twi'lek shook her head.

"I ain't no wuss. Go ahead, spit it out," she spouted back, "it's..it's Taris isn't it?" Devin just nodded.

"Taris is gone, Mission. We're so sorry," Bastila continued what Devin began. Mission looked around the room.

"I knew it...I knew it was gone the minute we left...but..." Mission looked toward the floor and Devin pulled her into a hug.

"We will leave you to your thoughts," Bastila said softly to the girl and walked out, feeling horrible about the whole situation. Devin followed a few steps behind. Stopping in the main hall, Bastila sat on the large table in the middle of the room.

"I can't imagine losing my home," her voice was soft, but truly Bastila knew loss all too well. Devin stood against the back wall, facing her, but he said nothing. "How was your training?"

"It was good. I need to go back and study a little more," he looked toward the direction of the enclave as if it was his home. It really was, he would just never remember. It was both of their homes.

"I can help you with any training you need work on, if you wish. I'm no master, but any extra work will move the process along a little faster," Devin nodded and smiled a bit.

"Thanks, Princess," Bastila shook her head. _Still a pig._ Devin walked out toward the exit of the Hawk, stopped at the hatch, and turned to her.

_"Storage room, tonight?"_

***Time Lapse***

It was their first full night docked and Bastila almost wished she were back in their "not-so-safe" safehouse on Taris. At least things were not as complicated there and she was able to get a decent amount of sleep. Bastila's night tonight consisted of sitting on the floor surrounded by books on the histories of the Jedi order, quizzing one of the greatest Jedi of all time on basic ideas that he could no longer remember, and teaching said Jedi how to meditate and create a better control of the force. Needless to say, Bastila was exhausted. Devin seemed to have more energy than a young child hyped up on energy bars. She didn't understand how someone with his past could be so excited to learn such menial facts. _Maybe I should get the Masters to wipe my mind._

"Bastila?" Devin's voice shook the young woman out of her daze. Bastila shifted so that she was laying on her stomach on the floor with her head propped up on her fist.

"Yes, Devin?"

"Why is it that the Jedi teach about peace, but more Jedi are falling to the aggressive Sith each day? Doesn't that warrant some flaw in the teachings of the Jedi Order?" Bastila was a little caught off guard. Considering Devin was reading about fighting styles, his mind was wandering quite a bit.

"Well, I honestly don't know why Jedi are falling. I suppose it is easier to fall than it is to resist. Most are tortured, but some are not. Some just follow the dark side," she answered carefully making sure not to answer in any way that would alarm him or set him off about his real past. The Sith are controlled by their emotions, and the Jedi have their emotions under control."

"But, locking down our emotions would just give them more reason to explode later on. You can't fight back your own nature, right?" He was truly giving her a run for her money. She didn't know how to answer.

"I," Bastila stopped and started over, "I won't lie. It is extremely difficult to keep ones emotions in check. It has always been my biggest weakness as a Jedi, but we have to believe in the teachings of the Jedi Order and uphold their honor. We bring peace to areas of distress and cannot do so if we cannot find peace within ourselves."

"You're right, forgive me." Devin looked back toward his books. Bastila had a silent sigh of relief and continued to brush up on her history of the Order.

***Time Lapse***

Haunted by the same recurring dream, Bastila jumped forcefully in the night, waking herself from the most sleep she has had in days. Rubbing her eyes and looking around, she realized she was no longer surrounded by the history of her Order, nor was she laying on a hard floor. She was in her bed, in the women's quarters.

"How in the force?" Bastila said a little louder than she intended. Mission stirred and sat up in her bed giggling.

"Devin carried you in here about an hour ago, said you were exhausted from helping him study. Not sure I believe the 'studying' part, but it's a great cover story." Bastila's mouth dropped wide open.

"Mission Vao! I can't believe..We..OF COURSE WE WERE STUDYING! What else would we be doing at this hour?"

"Calm down, Bas. I was only kidding. Geesh. Get some sleep," Mission rolled over in her bunk but Bastila swore she heard her muffle the word "Princess" into a cough, ending the conversation. Bastila decided it would be easier just to let it go. Let it go..and drift..back..to..sleep...

***End Chapter***

This chapter was a little different than my others, but it was on my mind. Please R&R. I love reviews and all of my readers! Thank you all so much!


	7. Chapter 6: Restlessness

Control

Chapter 6: Restlessness

A/N: I feel the need to apologize for not uploading as regularly as I should. I WILL get this story finished in whatever spare time I acquire. Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own any rights to the Star Wars franchise. I only own this story. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is the property of BioWare and LucasArts. No copyright infringement is intended by this work of fiction.

Bastila stood under a stream of ice cold water in an attempt to wake herself up and bring peace to her ever wandering mind. She endured another restless night of tossing and turning in her bunk. Chills crept up her spine as she remembered the previous night's dream. Just as the nights before, she had watched Revan and Malak discovering a hidden map of some sort somewhere on the very planet they were docked on, but the nature of the map was dark and powerful.

Dread and destruction were the first emotions to attack Bastila's mind when she woke. Mission was still asleep when she left the room, as was everyone else on the ship she assumed. It was quite early; so early that no light was shining through the external windows of the vessel. _Maybe I will finally get some time to meditate, my mind is jumbled and I'm too stressed._

The young woman left the refresher, clothed in her familiar robes. The only differences in her appearance from the previous days to this one included her hair being damp and loose from its normal bun restriction and the darkened bags under her eyes. She lightly stepped past the other rooms on the Ebon Hawk and into the main chamber in search of some sort of highly caffeinated beverage. To her surprise, coffee was already brewed and the newest member of the Jedi Order was sitting at the table enjoying a cup.

"You didn't sleep long," Devin stated plainly, his eyes outlined with the same creases and dark tint as Bastila's own eyes were. Of course, they had shared the same dreadful vision. Devin's midnight-black hair was messy and looked as though he'd run his hands through it a million and one times.

"Revan and Malak?" she asked plainly, sitting across from the sleepy-eyed man. He nodded and looked off to the side.

"Want a cup?" he lifted his cup gesturing towards the coffee. Bastila began to stand, about to get her own, but Devin was already half way to the maker, "I got it." He filled a cup silently and carried it to the table, setting it in front of her. "Careful, it's as hot as an overheated blaster barrel," he smiled half-heartedly.

"Thank you," she half-smiled back, "how much longer did you study last night after you carried me to my bunk? Um...thanks by the way."

"I stopped when you fell asleep; you snore," he laughed. Bastila almost choked on the sip of coffee she had been in the process of swallowing.

"I beg your pardon? I most certainly do not snore," she stated a little too harshly. It wouldn't matter though. Devin never seemed to take her harsh tones seriously. Devin leaned back in his chair, propping his feet upon the table.

"Oh, but you're mistaken. You DO snore. LOUDLY," he was taunting her now. She had to admit, Devin's teasing did seem to always lighten the mood. She had almost forgotten that the man she saw was the former Sith Lord. It never seemed to register in her mind that this man who could make her laugh so easily was once so dark and full of anger. He was the very person she was losing sleep over. Bastila wondered what went through his mind; where his memories destroyed, or were they simply replaced? And did the council do a well enough job of patching up his mind that he will never regain the memories of being on the opposing side of the war and destroying so many innocent lives?

A loud sound resonated through the ship and stirred Bastila away from her thoughts. It was a mixture of an exhausted man's yawn, an angry beast's roar, and a choking selkath's gurgle. _Zaalbar is awake._ The furry creature's footsteps thumped into the main corridor as he greeted both Devin and Bastila with a sleepy wave. Strangely enough, the fuzzy wookie sleeps more than both of them combined and still wakes up looking like death warmed over. Then again, he is a wookie.

"Big Z, you woke me up." Mission whined only a few moments later and slumped into the chair next to Devin. Zaalbar responded, but Bastila decided it was best to let her mind rest instead of interpreting the growls. "So," Mission began eyeing Devin maliciously, "what have you TWO been up to at this hour, hmm?"

"Be careful Mission, the Jedi may just scramble your mind if you ask the wrong questions," Carth had to throw his two cents in as he bounced merrily into the room. He was obviously a morning person, unlike everyone else on the ship. This made him even more annoying than he already was.

"Be careful Carth, Bastila was just talking about torture techniques she would like to try. I'm sure you're first on the list of subjects," Devin retorted, taking another long sip of coffee. Bastila glanced at Carth, who had a blank expression on his face. His lack of ability to respond to Devin made her laugh slightly, only adding to the '_I'm crazy, don't cross me'_ image that Devin had created for her as of late. Devin grinned and glanced in her direction before putting all four legs of his chair back onto the floor and standing up. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I have a meeting with Master Vandar-I think it's pertaining to interrogation tactics, would you like me to demonstrate for you, Carth?"

Devin walked out of the room laughing quietly to himself. Bastila stayed behind, even though she knew the Master's wished for the both of them to return to the enclave today. Devin needed to go to training alone. Jedi are usually on their own during their service to the Order, besides their connections to the force. Not only that, but Jedi are alone for their entire lives. They must give up relationships, passion, and love in order to serve for the greater good. According to the teachings, these things lead to the dark side. _I wonder what it was that led Revan down the path to the dark side?_

Jumping back into the present, Bastila glanced around the room. Canderous Ordo, the Mandalorian, was nowhere to be found. He was probably still asleep and, honestly, Bastila was wishing she still was too. Mission and Zaalbar were having what seemed to be an intelligent conversation, though Bastila could never really tell what the wookie was talking about. Carth Onasi was still very quiet; he was occupied with polishing his armor for now. Maybe he wouldn't be so annoying after a few more one-sided conversations with Devin. T3-M4 chirped to life in the corner of the room and wheeled his way around the ship. It was his job to check and make sure everything stayed operational at all times. He also was in charge of updating the databases and upgrading whatever could be upgraded. One thing Bastila had learned about the little droid was to never interrupt his work, or the series of beeps that he sparked off during the work. It was his way of singing, she supposed.

The Jedi Padawan stood and pushed her chair back from the table; Bastila put away her cup and leaned her back against the far wall, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Tilting her head downward, she drifted off into a light snooze, at least until she heard the footsteps and felt the nearing presence of Devin. _He's still here?_ Bastila opened her eyes slightly. Devin was standing in the passageway with his robes draped over his arm and only his pants and boots on. His chest was bare and showing every outline of every muscle that was present in the human body. Bastila wouldn't have been so surprised if she hadn't been able to notice the drastic change that had taken place in merely a few days of training. The other day, Devin was toned. Now, he was absolutely ripped. Being the teenager that she was, Mission whistled and winked at Devin. It was playful of course, but for some reason it still annoyed Bastila, and it definitely shouldn't have.

"Bas, I was thinking, the Master's probably wish to talk to both of us today regarding the dream. Do you want to walk over to the enclave now, or do you want to catch up on a little sleep first?" Devin slipped his robes on, covering his sculpture-like body but definitely not hiding it. He was in training-mode; completely oblivious to anything not related to learning and growing, including Mission's gestures. Bastila knew this was a good thing, but was it a good thing that he was so easily able to revert back to his old habits?

"Yes, you're probably right. I'll accompany you now so that we can get that out of the way and you can focus solely on training," the young woman ran her fingers through her still slightly damp hair and put it back up in its familiar bun. Devin watched her and moved to the side, motioning her to walk down the corridor towards the exit in front of him. Bastila's feet led her toward the air-locked doors. _"You should have left it down,"_ Devin spoke to her mind.

"_Left it down?"_ she lifted her eyebrow in question, before exiting the Ebon Hawk.

"_Your hair," _Devin answered back and led the way toward the Jedi enclave.

The walk to the enclave was uneventful to say the least. Neither Devin nor Bastila said a word. However, hushed whispers followed the pair from the entrance and into the center of the structure. Devin quickly became the hot new topic for the other Padawans, especially the women. At one point in their walk, Bastila was sure she heard a young girl speak of how she'd break the Code for Devin, but when Bastila glanced over at him to judge his reaction he didn't have one. It was as though he hadn't heard the girl; Bastila was sure that he had, though. Maybe he truly was indifferent, or maybe he was going to stick to the Jedi ways this time around. Even though, in his mind, this is his first time around.

Master Vandar was the only one within the council room when the pair entered. The green creature's short legs were crossed and his arms rested upon them as he meditated. His eyes were closed and both Bastila and Devin stood quietly in front of him until they opened slightly, acknowledging the duo's presence in the room.

"Ah, good morning," Vandar closed his eyes yet again, only to open them a few moments later and slowly stand from his sitting position. Devin and Bastila bowed in respect simultaneously.

"Good morning, Master Vandar. I trust you are well today?" Bastila greeted. Devin was still skittish around the Masters. _Conflicted interest? Maybe he can't distinguish how he should act here as opposed to his former Sith ways, even though he isn't supposed to be able to remember…_

"I am, as well you both are?"

"Yes, Master," Devin finally spoke up as they stood upright again, "Bastila and I have shared the vision of Revan and Malak again." Devin's dark eyes glanced towards Bastila and she took the hint. He wasn't comfortable. Master Vandar must have noticed as well; his gaze shifted in Bastila's direction.

"Master Vandar, we believe the visions have to do with some sort of ancient artifact that Malak and Revan required for whatever ventures they were focused on at the time. We also believe that the artifact is here on Dantooine in some sort of cave or hidden structure."

"Yes, feel such presence, I do," the wrinkled creature responded and closed his eyes. He gave them an obviously troubled expression. _How do I get myself into these situations? _

"_If you weren't a prodigy maybe you wouldn't be in these predicaments, Ms. Shan."_ Bastila's eyes widened a bit. Devin had heard her thoughts without her realizing. Their bond was stronger than she had suspected. She would really have to pay more attention to keeping her thoughts to herself.

"Prove yourself you must," Vandar directed his attention towards Devin, "and strangely the kath hounds have been acting. Investigate this you will, hmm?"

"_The only thing stranger than the kath hounds behavior is the way you construct your sentences," _Devin thought while simultaneously nodding in agreement to Master Vandar's wishes. Bastila fought back laughter.

"I'll look into the strange behavior, Master. Something must be causing the sudden change in behavior," Devin delivered, straight faced and un-phased by his own humor.

"Go with him, you shall," Vandar pointed a stubby finger fashioned with an abnormally long, pointy fingernail at Bastila. She understood. This would be Devin's first true battle with the temptation of the dark side. Devin's first time; Revan was tempted numerous times and Revan fell. It would be interesting to see how exactly Devin reacts to the stimuli of the very existence he was redeemed from.

"I will, Master Vandar, may the force be with you" she bowed respectfully toward her life-long teacher and turned then towards Devin, "I know you have training to complete, _and I need some rest_, I will retire to the Ebon Hawk and make sure everything is in order, _and check for blaster holes from Canderous and Carth's bickering matches_." Devin smiled slightly and nodded. Bastila returned a faint smile and turned toward the exit of the enclave.

"_Sweet dreams, please don't murder anyone. If you must, make sure T3 doesn't mind cleaning up the blood stains,"_ Devin replied via force bond. Bastila just smiled and made her way back to their massive vessel.

Between the enclave and the Ebon Hawk, Bastila stopped at one of the small shops to gather some supplies she was sure they would need eventually. This didn't seem like it would be a quick mission for anyone, especially the Jedi who captured Revan and Revan himself. Whether the others would tag along for the adventure was a different story entirely. Bastila honestly hoped Carth Onasi would return to the Republic line-up, but if he did the Ebon Hawk wouldn't have a pilot. She hated it, but maybe they needed him around for a little longer.

Bastila picked up a couple of medical supplies and a few upgrades T3-M4 would possibly benefit from. She filled her worn, tan colored backpack with the items and walked back towards the enormous ship docked in the middle of the courtyard just beyond the enclave's gates. Before she boarded the ship, she saw a tall twi'lek man frantically moving from person to person. He would speak, the listener would shake their head, and he would jump to the next person in his line of sight. Bastila just so happened to be the next person on the twi'lek's list.

"Excuse me miss, you haven't happened to come across a young girl anywhere around here by any chance, have you?" he asked quite calmly in contrast to his jittery nature.

"No, I haven't. Why do you ask?" Bastila responded.

"The daughter of the family I work for has gone missing and they are desperate to find her."

"Oh, I am very sorry to hear that. If I see or hear anything that could be of any assistance to the search for the girl I'll be sure to let you know," Bastila truly was sorry for the girl's absence. Her mind wandered to her own family for a second before she fought the memories away.

"Thank you, Jedi. It is most appreciated. My name is Lur Arka and I won't leave this area until she has been found," Bastila nodded and Lur Arka walked away to continue asking people if they had seen the girl anywhere.

Bastila walked up the ramp of the Ebon Hawk. Her eyelids were as heavy as durasteel blocks and her feet felt the same way. She made her way into the women's quarters, slipped her backpack off in the corner, and collapsed onto her bed. As soon as the young woman's eyes were allowed to close completely and her head settled into her pillow, she fell into a deep, dreamless, visionless slumber.

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><p>AN: As always, thank you all so very much for reading. I appreciate every single reader that happens to come across this story. I am very sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I don't have much free time on my hands these days, but I will continue to stick with this story. I love reviews and comments so feel free to leave me advice, constructive criticism, or the occasional "hey I love this story" note

Thanks again! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!


	8. Chapter 7: The First Encounter

**Control**

**Chapter 7: The First Encounter**

Bastila followed behind the footsteps of Devin Yikil and Canderous Ordo through the valley that stretched across the planet of Dantooine. It was very early morning; so early that she could still see the outline of the surrounding moons in the sky. The sight was certainly something to enjoy in the midst of all the chaos that had recently infiltrated her life.

"Kath hounds, huh?" Canderous spoke as he inspected his large firearm while stomping around in his armor. "I don't see any Kath hounds."

"We've barely ventured beyond the enclave. Kath hounds aren't normally around busy areas. The Masters said something was wrong, so there is." Devin put so much faith into a world that he had only recently become a part of. Bastila was certainly surprised and even more so relieved that his past didn't seem to be coming back to him. _So far, so good._

"There is definitely something going on here. I feel a ripple in the force." Her light, confident voice spoke up as she split the two men walking in front of her to take the lead. Her grey eyes scanned the horizon for any signs of trouble. Off to her left, near a cliff, Bastila spotted a few speeders. "Hm, why would anyone be all the way out here?"

Canderous and Devin stopped walking and turned their attention in the direction of the Jedi woman's gaze. All of the sudden, Devin took off in a sprint toward them.

"What got into him?" Ordo scratched his head looking ahead of his dashing companion. He then realized what the change in composure was caused by. Near the speeder stood three men struggling with some sort of cargo. "Wait… that's not cargo. That's a child!" Bastila had already taken off after Devin and Ordo quickly passed her and took a battle stance.

"Hey!" Devin yelled at the men as they held a tight grip on the young girl. "What do you think you're doing?!" The Padawan's hand grasped the hilt of his lightsaber that was still attached to his belt.

"None of your business boy, move along." The leader of the group spoke with a sinister smirk. All three of them were covered from head to toe in armor, besides the leader. His helmet lay on the ground near the speeder's front.

"Let her go—," Devin began speaking, but was hushed when Canderous' deep voice spoke up.

"Disgraceful Mandalorians. Capturing a child? You are a pathetic group of idiots." Ordo's weapon was held at the ready, his sights set on the middle of the three men. "Mandalore would never approve."

"What do you know? Strike me down if you think you can," retorted the leader. In an instant, battle ensued and shots were fired. Bastila quickly drew her blade and ignited it, jumping into action. Her blade caught the armor of the right most Mandalorian. He stumbled backwards, but quickly regained composure and matched her swing for swing with his own vibro blade.

The leader of the group sprinted toward Canderous, who was firing off well placed shots at known weak spots in the traditional armor he was sporting. Devin quickly disarmed the left soldier and ended his life is a swift slash of his own blade. Looking between his companions, he sprang in to help Canderous with the leader.

_Let me know if you need a hand. _He quickly sent a message to Bastila, not expecting a response.

Bastila was getting quite sick and tired of the opponent that she was facing. He was skilled with a blade, but not in the best condition and was beginning to slow down. A smirk grew on the woman's face as she sped her blade up immensely, making the man take quite a few steps backward. Finally, they reached the edge of the cliff and he stumbled, giving her a chance to end their encounter. Gratefully she took it, disarming him with a quick kick to the wrist and he twisted backwards into a spiral down onto the rocks below. Without looking to see how the opposition had ended up below the cliff, she ran back toward the speeder where the child was hiding.

"It's okay, you don't have to be afraid. We're here to help you." Bastila spoke softly to the child as she heard the disengaging zip of Devin's saber. She reached her hand toward the child, who grasped it lightly. She was obviously shaken by the events that had taken place today. Devin and Canderous made their way to where Bastila was kneeling by the girl.

"I can't understand her, I think she may be Mandalorian. Ordo, can you ask her name?" Bastila looked at the white haired Mandalorian as he nodded in agreement and began conversing with the child. The two Jedi stepped away to loot the bodies and the speeder.

"I can't believe such scum still exist in the Universe. What if we hadn't been here, Devin?" The young woman let out her frustration through her words. _Why am I asking YOU of all people how someone can be ruthless? I'm losing my mind…_

"We were here, Bastila. The force brought us here for a reason. She's going to be okay. Are you alright?" The muscular young man questioned the Jedi woman. His hand came to rest on the back of her shoulder, reassuringly. She greatly appreciated the gesture.

"Yes, I'm fine. Thank you," Canderous approached the two with the girl following behind.

"I'm going to take her back to the enclave to see if we can't locate her parents. You two going to be alright out here alone?" They both nodded towards the Mandalorian and thanked him for helping the girl. He simply shrugged it off and walked past them toward the enclave. "I could comm Carth if you need him," Ordo yelled behind him.

"We can manage without the bickering, thanks!" Devin retorted and laughed as he heard the Mandalorian give a slight chuckle.

"So, shall we continue figuring out what's going on out here?" the blue-eyed male turned to the brown-haired woman and returned his hilt to his belt. Bastila nodded in agreement and they continued trekking through the vast, open fields.

After walking through another few open planes, the duo encountered a few clusters of bothered Kath hounds, just as the Masters had said existed. The hounds weren't much of a bother to the two well-trained duelists. Bastila stunned the ones that she could, knowing it wasn't their fault for being on edge and not wanting to harm them for it.

The crunch of dead grass began to come more frequent to Bastila's keen ears. It was strange that the grass would be dying at this time of year. There had been plenty of rain and sunshine lately; something wasn't adding up. She stopped walking and sat on the ground, taking a meditation position upon her knees. Devin remained quiet and stopped walking some few feet to her left. His eyes searched around them for anything strange and a chill quickly edged its way into his body, shaking his resolve ever so slightly. _What was that?_

Bastila's eyes opened at his mental question and she immediately froze. Concealing her thoughts from Devin quickly, she delved into a quick synopsis of the situation. _They want to test him so quickly? I don't understand. The situation must be much more dire than I had originally expected… _

"The ripple in the force, its strength is coming from that direction," Bastila's head gestured toward an area of crumbling pillars about a mile away. "I have a feeling that whatever is causing the commotion among the hounds is centered there." Bastila Shan, prodigy of the Jedi Order, was hiding her nervousness from this man who had lost his memories of being such a menace in the universe. _What happens if this triggers his memory? He could kill me, reveal the location of the enclave. What are they thinking?_

"Everything alright, Bastila?" Devin's voice shook her from her thoughts and back to reality. He had already began to move toward the pillars, pausing only to wait for her. She simply nodded and followed behind, keeping her hand near her lightsaber hilt and her eyes glaring at Devin, anticipating any and every scenario that may arise.

The duo made their way through the valley, careful to be as quiet as possible as they approached the area covered in broken pillars. Among the middle of those pillars sat a figure in Jedi robes. Bastila's concentration wavered between Devin and this mysterious figure as the young man moved in closer.

"That is quite close enough, Jedi!" Yellow cat eyes met both Devin and Bastila as the figure sprang upward.

"Who are you?" Devin responded carefully, but confidently as always. He made sure to keep his distance as to not make the one in front of them feel threatened. It didn't seem to be working.

"My name is not important. Nothing is important now, for you will never have to speak another word again." The figure's hand reached out toward Bastila and quickly trapped her in a stasis.

_FORCE! I was too busy worrying about Devin that I didn't guard myself against the true opponent. _

Bastila cursed herself mentally as she watched the Cathar and the former Dark Lord of the Sith engage in both a combat of wit and skill.

Devin drew his hilt and ignited it, taking a defensive stance as the Cathar jumped at him. Attacking with her own saber that glowed a light blue hue. He matched her swing for swing, blocking and dodging; taking the smart route and staying on the defensive until she made a mistake. The hot-headed opponent quickly stepped forward one step too many, giving Devin the opportunity to strike. He swung out with his right leg, knocking her saber wielding hand to the side and striking her with his own blade. She yelped out in pain and regained her stance.

"You are a Jedi, are you not?" Devin attempted to reason with the woman. She growled lowly.

"I was. I am no longer." She sprang again, hastily, which resulted in her being quickly knocked back once again.

"What do you mean by that, um.. I'm sorry I didn't catch your name?" If Bastila could smile she would have right then. Devin was always so very calm, even now. She had clearly under-estimated both himself and her Masters.

"I mean I am tainted. I have fallen to the dark side. And the power tastes so sweet! You will not defeat me, weakling!" They engaged again. Lightsabers locked and hissed in a glowing dance of blue. It seemed as though Devin was finished trying to end this without being aggressive as he began to attack the Cathar with great speed and dexterity. He dodged everything she tried to throw his way while still managing to stay on balance and knock her lightsaber away and send her to the ground.

"I…I can't believe this. You are not drawing from the dark taint, and yet you still defeat me…" The Cathar dropped her head and remained on the ground. "I have failed on both sides. You, take my life. End me."

Bastila was released from her stasis the moment the Cathar dropped her head and released her command of the force. She dropped to the ground from the sudden ability to control her own body again. Making her way to her feet yet again, she took her place beside Devin, who had returned his lightsaber to its place in his belt and extended his hand to the fallen Jedi that stay defeated on the ground.

"You have not failed, for you have seen both sides of the force. You can still return to the Jedi." The Cathar's eyes rose to meet Devin's own glistening blues. "I'll talk to the Council. You just have to trust me." She gasped and her face grew into a look of confusion. After a few moments, she placed her cat-like hand in Devin's and rose to her own feet.

"I… Thank you, Jedi. Thank you." The Cathar looked truly confused and apologetic for what she had done. Bastila remained wary of any sudden movements, but she could sense that the woman wouldn't try anything rash. She certainly wasn't in the shape for it after her duel with Devin.

"Your name?" Devin asked simply, disregarding that he had just done anything spectacular.

"Juhani," the woman responded, her eyes darting from Revan to Bastila and back, "I'm going to return to the enclave… talk to the Council… Thank you again, Jedi. I owe you my life." Juhani bowed and turned, making her way across the plains back toward the Jedi Enclave.

Devin turned to Bastila immediately after Juhani was walking away, "Are you okay? She didn't hurt you?"

"I'm quite alright, Devin. Thank you," Bastila couldn't suppress her smile. "I'm amazed by your quick thinking and the way you handled that situation, Devin. You did exceptionally well."

"I did, huh?" Devin smiled playfully at her, "If saving lost souls impresses you, let's go find some more." He chuckled, but it wasn't long until his cried out in pain. Bastila elbowed him in the ribs as she made her way back toward the enclave as well.

"Hey! I was kidding!" Devin jogged to catch up with her, but ran past on accident as she stopped walking, a curious look crossing her face. "Uh, something wrong?"

Bastila felt something strange and was searching for what it could possibly be. "No, I just…" _There! _She began walking to an opening in some rocks, hidden behind one of the fallen pillars they had just been near.

"Bastila?" Devin followed behind, "What's going on?" He walked in behind the young woman, into the mouth of a hidden cave. To both of their surprise, the cave was not empty. A lifeless, ancient droid lay in a mechanical heap on the stone floor. Bastila observed it from a distance with torch light from someone before them creating dancing shadows on her face.

"We need to tell the council of this immediat-, Devin what're you doing?!" Before she had a chance to stop him, Devin was a foot from the droid and moving closer. "You have no idea what you're doing. Get away from that thing!" she commanded in a hushed yell.

"It's just a hunk of metal, princess. It hasn't been active for centuries," he bent down and brushed dust off of the droid. "Dead as durasteel; hunk of metal," Devin kicked the droid lightly and turned his back, walking back in Bastila's direction. Her eyes widened and then focused quickly as soon as Devin heard the grind of gears behind him. As her petite hand drew her saber from her belt, she shook her head in anger. _Why would anyone EVER follow such a foolish man?_

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><p>Thank you to all of you who have stuck by the story thus far. I AM going to finish it. Hopefully I'll get back into the writing rhythm very soon. As always, please R&amp;R!<p>

**EDITED 1/26/14: **I hated the way I ended this chapter previously. It has been revised and new chapters are in the works. Will more than likely deviate from story line, since I haven't played the game in so long now. But the story must go on!

{RavensDescendant}


	9. Chapter 8: A Divided Map

**Control**

**Chapter 8: A Divided Map**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Star Wars universe or the KotOR universe. I only own this story.

Bastila ignited her saber, urging Devin to do the same through their force bond. She heard the hiss of his blade in her ear seconds later, as they both watched the slight movement of the droid in front of them. The joints of its four, spider-like legs spit rust from their joints as it began to walk towards them. Bastila's feet shuffled apart, her body ready to attack the foreign entity on first warning.

After moving closer to the two, the droid began making crude noises. The first sounded as though it were about to spontaneously combust. However, within about a minute, it switched to a more elegant, yet still very unfamiliar sound.

"What do you think its doing?" Devin questioned, disengaging his saber and relaxing his body. Bastila, not so trusting, didn't follow his lead. She listened intently to the noises the machine was throwing into the air, until one more familiar sound reached her ear.

"I..I believe it may be attempting to communicate," she had picked up on one of the ancient words she had heard somewhere before; more than likely whilst she was waiting for her master outside of a council meeting. "Listen, maybe we'll know one of the languages."

"Bas, I think you've lost it," Devin said after another minute of listening to guttural nonsense. "This thing is just too old to work with, maybe we should just leave it." Devin turned to walk out as the droid spoke intelligibly.

"I greet you, as I greet those who came before you," the words slithered out of the droid as it spoke in the tongue of the Selkath on Manaan. Bastila relaxed herself a bit as she realized the droid, at this point in time, had no intent to harm them.

"Can you understand us?" Bastila glanced at Devin after speaking, hoping the droid would be able to decipher galactic basic.

"I can, beings," it continued speaking in the same tongue, "you are not the first to converse with me in such a way." _Not the first? But who? _

"Revan..and Malak, they were here before, weren't they?" Devin was watching the droid intently, as if he were trying to see something that wasn't truly visible. Bastila swallowed, backing away only slightly. She was too nervous to be this close to him, he would notice.

"You are correct, being. Those you have named, the cold ones, they visited this place before," the droid responded matter-of-factly.

"Why were they here? What were they looking for?" Bastila jumped into the conversation, trying to break any thoughts of Revan away from himself. She felt his mind change gears with a minute shift in the force. A sigh of relief slipped her lips as she continued conversing with the droid.

"The cold ones before you came here in search of information that lies in the ruins. Information on the Builders," Bastila and Devin began asking the droid questions. It answered in the slippery sounding tongue as its limbs jerked slightly in mechanical error. "The Builders created this place as a library for their own people and then they created me to guard its secrets. The secrets were previously uncovered by the two who came before you. All others who have wished to enter have failed. Those who succeeded entered through the door you see behind me. They were deemed worthy."

"How can we be deemed worthy?" Devin's sharp voice asked quickly. He moved forward toward the door behind the droid and tried his hand at opening the door, but to no avail.

"You must be deemed worthy." A simple statement left the droid before it began crawling across the stone floor. The ancient mechanism fell silent as Bastila and Devin began to search for a way into the chamber.

"_You must be deemed worthy" _Bastila replayed the words in her mind over and over. "To be deemed worthy," she spoke out loud, but in reality it was to herself, "there must be some sort of challenge or test." Her light footsteps carried her across the room to another door on their west. As she grew closer, the doorway shook and opened slowly. Devin's presence was behind her at once, and she peered into the newly opened room cautiously.

Devin entered first, looking around as he walked to the center of the room that looked much like the one they were just in. In the center, there was another ancient droid like the one they had talked to. "Maybe we have to talk to this one, too?" Devin asked. The droid on the ground activated, a shimmering shield generated around its golden colored frame. "Or not.."

Bastila sent a wave of the force barreling at the droid, quickly knocking it back away from Devin a bit. It countered, using turrets hidden behind its rustic plating. Devin ignited his saber and jumped at the droid, landing on the opposite side of its fire and hacked away at its defenses. Bastila did the same, dodging fire and attacking whenever she had a free moment away from danger. Their offense was to absolutely no avail. The droid's defenses were of a sort she had never seen before. She quickly ran behind a boulder off to the right side of the room. _Think Bastila. Think. _

She calmed her mind, feeling the force flowing around her in sporadic waves. Devin was having a time with the droid. She had to block it out, block him out, for now at least. A yell of pain broke her new found concentration. Devin had been hit by the droid's blaster fire. She looked around quickly, giving up on the idea of peacefully finding the answer. Seeing the terminal at the other end of the room, she got an idea. _Devin, get to that terminal, now!_

Bastila's strong, lean frame sprinted from behind the cover of the boulder and slashed away at the droid, whose sights were currently set on Devin who was running in the opposite direction. _Come on droid, follow me. _The droid turned and began charging its turret again. The young woman bolted away and down the back wall of the room, shots following only inches behind her. _"Bas, what am I looking for?" _Devin's voice entered her head. She ducked back behind the boulder once more, catching her breath. "Start pressing buttons! We have to get the shield down!" She was off again, first attacking while the turrets were overheated and then sprinting and jumping over the droid, buying time for Devin to figure something out. Suddenly, the shimmer around the droid began to flicker and finally disappeared.

Bastila charged the droid and hacked away once more, but a blast of the force blew her back from the droids hull as it burst into pieces. Devin's blade was all she could see before the smoke cleared. The saber disengaged and his hand found her arm in the cloudiness. He pulled her to her feet and made sure she was alright. She nodded, coughing a bit and waving her arms to clear the room. "Let me see your wound," she insisted. Devin pulled his collar down a bit on his undershirt to show her the graze of blaster fire just over his right shoulder.

"Its fine, Bas," he shrugged it off while walking with her to the terminal. "What is this thing?"

"Some sort of ancient computer, I assume," she answered as best as she could. The terminal began cranking out sounds as the droid that greeted them did. Devin began talking to it, to see if it would pick up on their tongue a bit more quickly. The use to be Dark Lord of the Sith understood the words of some language Bastila had never heard before; therefore, he conversed with the machine.

"I think its a puzzle," he stated, sort of confused sounding. "Identify three primary death-giving seed world types." A list of options appeared on the terminal's display. Bastila was looking at the words, but couldn't decipher them. As soon as Devin read off the choices, she knew the answers.

"Try, 'desert, volcanic, and barren'," she suggested, taking the time to bandage his wound while she was of little assistance. She was worried: what if he had remembered that he was here? What if the reason he knew this ancient language was because Revan knew it..and the memories are beginning to come back? What if the Masters didn't do as good of a job as they believed? _Bastila! Calm yourself. _"Alright, good as new," the young woman stated as she put her supplies back in her belt pouch.

"Thanks," he turned and smiled, "feels better already." _That's why people followed this fool; he's too damn charismatic for his own good. _"You were right by the way. Those were the right choices."

"You believed I would be wrong?" She took slight offense as they exited the room, but made it seem much worse, simply to watch a Dark Lord squirm. The two Jedi passed the crawling welcoming droid and entered the eastern door. Greeting them was yet another pissed off guardian in an identically set up room. Bastila's eye caught Devin's glance and nod before he took off for the terminal, lightsaber drawn to deflect any blaster fire that might head his way. Bastila drew the attention of the droid by using the same technique as before: hit and run.

Devin managed to reach the terminal much more quickly than in the first room, as Bastila saw the shield flicker and fade within only her second sprint around the chamber. She reached out into the force and drew in all that she could pull around her. It swirled around her in a calm storm before she pushed the energy out in one powerful motion, throwing the ancient droid into a wall, effectively ending its existence as an intelligent being.

The young woman placed her lightsaber in her belt and went to fix her hair, putting it back into its previous up-do. Feeling a gaze behind her, she turned just in time to see Devin clapping slowly. "Good work, princess," he smirked.

"A princess doesn't enjoy getting her hands dirty," she retorted walking toward the droid, swinging her hips slightly more than usual, "I quite enjoyed that." She opened the front panel of the droid and forcefully disconnected as much circuitry as she could manage, so the droid would never function again. "Remind me to ask Mission to come see what she can salvage from these guys."

Devin just nodded, he didn't seem to really be paying attention to much for the moment. "Dantooine to Devin, come in Devin," Bastila's small hand waved in front of his eyes.

"Right! Sorry, will do," he jerked back to life and walked behind her toward the terminal. They started it up and waited for a familiar language. It found the Selkath's native tongue once more. The words on the screen flashed before them: "Identify the three primary life-giving seed world types". Bastila typed the answers in on the ancient keyboard: Oceanic, Arboreal, Grassland. A loud cranking noise came from the terminal and both Devin and Bastila believed the old machine may just blow up.

_I believe that's our cue to leave. _

_ "Yeah, agreed" _Bastila jumped at the presence of Devin's voice in her mind. He'd been so quiet lately through their bond that she had all but forgotten that she had to hide her thoughts from him. She wondered to herself what else he had heard during her lapse of thought blocking. _Pay more attention! Force!_

Back in the main room of the hidden cave, Bastila and Devin could now enter the South door as they were "deemed worthy", or so the greeting droid continued to repeat to them obnoxiously. They readied themselves, lightsaber hilts in hand. Bastila's gray eyes looked up into Devin's "Ready?". He nodded in response and they opened the door, each standing off to their respective sides in a position where each of them could quickly take cover if need be.

On first glance, the room was barren. Nothing but stone and dirt, much like the one they had just entered from. Bastila relaxed her stance and walked into the room carefully, glancing down every few steps to make sure she wasn't going to step on some sort of defense system switch. Devin, the headstrong one that he was, walked directly past her and looked around in a confused daze.

"What's so great about an empty room? There are no secrets here," he backed up, his body facing Bastila and eyes still searching the walls. He was right, there was absolutely nothing in the room. Until his heel caught something on the ground, tripping him and sending up a puff of dust as he hit the cave floor. Bastila couldn't help but to chuckle a bit.

"_Very_ smooth," she teased as she offered her hand to help him get back up. Devin dusted himself off, making sure to wipe the dust onto Bastila's arm.

_ "You like getting your hands dirty, here," _his thoughts made her laugh once again, until she heard a slight humming sound coming from the ground. She looked down to see a round, golden colored plate under a layer of dirt on the cave's floor. A dim light in the center began to brighten. The two backed up to witness something absolutely amazing. The light from the floor was producing a hologram.

"Is that a..." Devin began.

"a map," Bastila finished his statement, walking around the massive projection in front of them. "It's a map of the universe, but why?" Devin circled the map as well, trying to figure out what its purpose was. "Something is missing..."

"Yeah, I see it, too," Devin chimed in, pointing toward a blank spot in the map. "But, why are only five planets showing up?" Bastila moved to his side and looked from his angle onto the map.

"This is Dantooine here, so this," she moved her finger, "is Tatooine," she continued tracing the map to remember the planet names, "Kashyyyk,...Manaan,...,Korriban." Devin looked at her curiously before speaking.

"What if there's a similar map to this on each of these planets," he gestured to the four other planets on the map, "and those maps all have a clue as to what is in this missing region here?" he nodded toward the hole in the map, this time crossing his arms in thought. "The Builders must have something hidden there, something that Revan and Malak wanted," he shook his head, "No doubt something that would make them much more powerful."

Bastila shuddered at the thought, Revan and Malak MORE powerful? How? She turned on her heels and headed toward the door, Devin catching up moments later. _There's no way the Master's had no knowledge of the map, nor of what it entailed. But, they sent __**me **__with a cloudy version of the former __**Dark Lord of the Sith**__ to investigate?! Somethings not right. Not one bit. _

_"The council?" _He asked through their bond as they left the cave in their wake. Struggling to keep up with a bothered Bastila.

"The council," she responded forcefully, leaving other conversation to be lost in the breeze of Dantooine's valleys.


End file.
